Caregiver Burnout Series: Inspiration to Uplift

I made the video below from photos I took, and it was what I do to relax, recharge my batteries, and give myself an uplift. After caring for someone who passed away, I find it's important to invent my own ways of giving myself a lift. The beauty of nature always takes me away from stress, worries, and feeling down.

For Caregivers' Stress Relief - A Ten Minute Guided Relaxation Video

Using special breathing techniques to reduce tension is often part of relaxation therapies and activities such as yoga. This ten minute guided relaxation and deep breathing video with tranquil scenes provides caregivers with one of the ways to take a relaxation break. If your week has been tense this will help you to unwind. Enjoy and best wishes, Kristi

Laughter Is Good Medicine for Caregivers and Seniors

Laughter, or at least gentle humor, can be good medicine for caregivers and seniors. Reading a humorous book to someone who can no longer see well enough to read has been an enjoyable activity I've shared often.

Some of the recent readings have been from Garrison Kieller's "Prairie Home Companion" series, a book on ""How to Talk Minnesotan", a book of humor by columnist Dave Barry, and "Laughter the Best Medicine" from the Readers Digest.

Books on tape, read by authors or professionals, often with sound effects, can give the caregiver and care-receiver some relief from the usual stresses and create a light mood.

Recently some visitors stopped by while a care-reciever and I were listening to "Dusty and Lefty", some humorous cowboys from Garrison Keiller. As the humor in the stories built we were lauphing all together, and the visitors said they were glad they stopped by to join the party.

After a dose of gentle humor or outright laughing, the tired and tense feelings can melt away.

Here are a few links to wholesome, family humor.

This site offers Laughter the Best Medicine, Life in These United States, All in a Day's Work, Humor in Uniform, Laugh Lines Newsletter, and more.