The Gift of Gratitude
Dear Caregivers,
Being a caregiver is one of the most difficult jobs in the world—and being a caregiver of someone with Alzheimer’s disease even more so! It’s hard work, full of ups and downs, deep uncertainties, and the heartache of seeing someone you love slowly lose their abilities.
So, it may seem a little odd that, heading into the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to urge you to take a pause and practice gratitude.
I’m sure that there are times when you are so exasperated or overwhelmed that you can’t imagine being grateful for anything. But gratitude is like a muscle, and the more you exercise it, the more readily it flexes and comes to life.
And here's the important payoff: As with any kind of regular exercise, science has shown that regularly practicing gratitude will lead to improved mental and physical fitness. All of us at NAN want to help you face the challenges of caregiving and achieve everthing you want to do for your loved one, while at the same time maintaining your health and wellbeing along the way.
You might try working a bit of gratitude practice into your morning, daytime, and evening routines:
When you wake up in the morning and before you get out of bed, take a few seconds to express something that you are looking forward to in the coming day, such as “I’m grateful to be connecting with my family tonight at dinner.”
During the day find something to be grateful for, even if it's a small thing, such as being thankful that the bright sunshine is pouring through the window where you are having your morning coffee.
Actively practice gratitude by thanking a work colleague, delivery person, or a shopkeeper for their help.
Reframe a tough situation to look at the bright side, such as “I hate being stuck in traffic, but at least I get to listen to this wonderful music on the radio.”
At night, as you get ready for bed, take a short minute to reflect on three things you are grateful for, breathing in deeply and slowly exhaling as you reflect on each one.
Given all that is going on in your life, and in the world at large, I realize that finding gratitude might be a challenge. But in fact, it is there in all of us; it’s just that sometimes we need to take a litle time to find it.
Here is some more advice on finding and practicing gratitude:
How To Do Relaxation Breathing:
If you're feeling anxious, the first step to take is to break your body's stress response cycle. Relaxation breathing is a powerful technique to achieve this. Here’s now to do it.
Building your Caregiving Mental Health Toolkit:
As a caregiver, you need a host of tools to help you cope and maintain your mental health. Here’s your toolkit.
Finding the Joy as a Family Caregiver:
The challenge that family caregivers face is to learn acceptance, to live in the present moment, and to let go of things you cannot control. This is a challenge to be sure, but if there can be any joy in caregiving, this is where it is.
Remember, if you can’t find the information you need on our website, you can always “Ask NAN” by clicking on this link.
Best,
Rosemary D Laird, MD, MHSA
Founder and Chief Medical Officer
“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”
— William Arthur Ward
