Well, it's that time of year again when the time changes. Springing forward and losing an hour of sleep is one of those things that I don't look forward to experiencing. As a family caregiver, losing an hour of sleep is one of those things that just is not on my favorite things list.
I wish time came in a can so that I could keep extra stored in my pantry and then just open up a can when I needed some extra time. But that's not how this works. So like everything else in life I have to adapt.
The most important thing for me to do as I'm adapting is to be mindful of how I'm
feeling. Losing an hour of sleep makes me more tired than usual for several days. And so I have to adjust by being mindful of that so that I can adjust my pace in order to complete everything I still have to complete.
One thing I do is I try to prepare the basis for several days worth of dinners on one day and that way as the day is winding down and I'm getting tired, I don't have to do quite as much in order to get dinner ready for Mom and me.
Also, I set a new pace for how many errands I run in a day. Sometimes I have to think about it and decide whether to move that last errand on to another day.
Finally, I have to be conscious about when I go to bed. The days had started to change and the sun was coming up earlier, so I was waking up earlier. But now that the time has changed, it's a little bit darker in the morning, so I have to think about going to bed a little bit earlier so that my natural body clock will wake me up at that time that I'm accustomed to arising.
Being mindful of how I'm feeling helps me make the adjustments that I need in order to continue caring. And the better I am for me, the better I can be for my mom.
Remember, caregiving is what you do for your loved one. Giving care is what you do for both of you.
Be well until next time.
-Dr. Sheri
Dr. Sheri L. Yarbrough is an author, caregiver, and founder of Praxis Senior Care-Giving Solutions, a consulting business that works with organizations to provide working family care-givers with practical and easily implemented strategies to help them manage their care journey.
View Dr. Yarbrough's weekly blog on all things caregiving from a caregiver's perspective.
Listen to Dr. Yarbrough's Podcast: Straight Talk for Giving-Care
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