As a caregiver, I get tired. 

Tired as in “take a seat and rest a spell”…yes…but sometimes as in, “God, I want to give up, I just don’t see the good I’m doing.”

I find that when I’m in that mode I personalize everything around me.  For instance, when the family members of my client are not as chatty and upbeat…I wonder what I’ve done wrong.  I nit-pick every little thing that “goes wrong” and blame it on myself; where as if it had happened on one of my “good days”,  I’d just roll with it, and think, “Such is life.”

Don’t get me wrong, I love being a caregiver.  It’s the best job I’ve ever had even if the pay sucks.  I honestly believe my calling is to give and serve whether it be through my writing or caring for my clients.  I find that I am the happiest when I do either.

We all get to the point of burn out, and the reason we do is because we take on too much, or fail to care for ourselves.  Sometimes self-care is saying, no, and sometimes it’s taking time to do something you enjoy. 

I’m so thankful to have this weekend off.  Since it only happens every 12 days, I try to utilize the time with activities that bring me peace and joy.  This weekend those activities are making Christmas cookies, wrapping presents, working on my Christmas puzzle, eating pizza, and watching football.    

Self-care is not selfish; it is love. 

There is nothing wrong in loving yourself, and enjoying your life.  Quite the contrary!  We are admonished by our Creator to be joyful and to seek peace.  We are created in the image of God, not that we physically look like God, but that we are created to love and be loved. When we do what we’ve been created to do we have peace and Joy.

Today I choose Joy. 

Happy feelings come and go with the circumstances of life, but Joy is rooted deep within, and never goes away.  We may not feel it but it is there…waiting for for you. When life throws us for a loop and knocks us down Joy seems nothing but a faded memory.  During these times we must mentally choose Joy.

I picture Joy as a place within me where there’s a gentle river that is filled with cool, refreshing water.  I come to its grassy bank, kneel, and reach inside with cupped hands.  I cradle the water, lift it over my head, and let it slip through my fingers…freeing it to wash over my tired and worn-out soul.

After I visit my place of Joy, I find I am better able to care for my clients.

Create your own place of Joy, and visit it often.   

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