The whirlwind of the holidays has swept by and now we find ourselves in mid January. If you are like me you wore yourself down in December and caught a cold or flu to start the new year off. If the seasonal virus hasn’t caught you yet it is not too late to slow down, take a breath and make sure you are pacing yourself to allow sufficient rest to keep you healthy.

Resolutions or Plans?

Did you write New Year’s resolutions this year? This process may or may not be good for you but what is good is taking time periodically to assess what is working for you and what is not working. As you begin this year set aside a few minutes each week to jot down some things you would like to see work better. Once they are in writing you can think about what you would change in a practical sense and apply your ideas through the year. Here’s an example:

Sally is caring for her brother. She has taken him into her home and spends most of her time helping him with activities of daily living. Even when she is not helping him she is on the alert because he can no longer live independently. Sally finds a few minutes to sit down in her favorite chair. On the table by her side she has a notebook.  She picks it up and jots down -

“I need more ‘me’ time.”

Under this entry Sally begins to jot down what this would look like-.

Go to the spa this month

  • driving time, spa package -3 hrs.
  • maybe lunch with a friend – 1 -1/2 hrs.
  • someone to spend time with Gary

Notice that Sally chose a spa day.  ’Me’ time can be whatever you like to do. Maybe you would prefer to go to an early movie, visit a book store or museum. The activity is your choice. What is important is that you set a timeline for when you want your activity to occur. If you do not set a timeline your dreams will always be dreams. Setting the timeline turns dreams into plans.

Sally went beyond this though. She took just a couple more minutes to jot down what kind of time this activity would take and that she would need to have someone stay with Gary in order for her to have that time.

Gary needed Sally about then so she had to wait until the next time she sat down to put more ideas in her notebook. This is why you have a notebook next to your favorite chair. Ideas can come in spurts throughout the day. You can jot them down on the fly.

Sally came by later and added notes to her ‘stay with Gary’ item.

  • Check cost of day respite
  • call for prices on non-medical  in-home care provider
  • see if Michael (her other brother) will take Gary to his house for an afternoon
  • Gary’s friend Roger said he would help somehow – check with him

Just by having the idea in writing Sally began to remember that there are options available to help her with Gary. Some of them cost money while others involve asking a favor or accepting help from friends and family.

Resources and Self Care

However you began your new year remember that in the back of your mind there are resources you haven’t even tapped yet to help you care for your loved one. Sometimes all it takes to remember them is jotting down some ideas in a little notebook.

As this year progresses remember to take care of yourself. If you are not run-down now plan to avoid run-down by using the resources available to you. If you’ve already over done it – take stock and plan for time to regroup and take care of yourself.

Remember – you are only able to care for others when you care for yourself first!

Have a wonderful 2010!