Figuring Out our own needs

Figuring Out Our Own Needs

Photo offered by Rosario Janza on Unsplash

Sometimes the going gets really tough, because you can’t help but feel like everything is piling on top of you at once… whether it’s one thing after the other or it’s a huge piece coming at you. It’s natural for this to happen in life, but that doesn’t mean we have to relate to it from a place of anxiety, overwhelm or pushing through.

If you do feel like you’re dealing with daily struggle after daily struggle, it might benefit you to begin to explore a space of openness and curiosity around that. This doesn’t make the daily struggles melt away, but it does allow us to see how plans change and we are constantly growing. The best energy we can invest is into ourselves, because as soon as we start doing that, life begins to offer more positivity and possibility.

Please, Caregivers, first and foremost, just know that by moving in your day, you're doing enough. It's okay to be uncertain and try different things. Learning this process is a practice in Self Trust. Take it one day at a time and don't put pressure on yourself; just try to stay curious.

Sometimes doing something small allows you a different energy to approach what’s happening in your life. These are just suggestions that may give you an alternate starting place to shift your energy.

- Try putting on an outfit that feels uplifting to you. Freshening up can allow you to feel confident and energized. There is a lot of power when you feel it come from the inside. 

- Sometimes when we feel out of sorts, if we can eat slowly and be deliberate with food, we can feel better about nourishing ourselves. Pick something that has a prep process, like cutting up strawberries. 

- Practicing saying no to things, while it can be tough, is powerful. Not all things are right for the soul. 

- Doing a short, solitary task that you can devote attention to, where you can listen to your body and separate you from your responsibilities temporarily, allows you a quick reset. 

- Create a playlist filled with songs you love and put it on when things are overwhelming. 

- Do something easy to shift your environment. Maybe simply putting away the dishes can create space in how you feel. 

An important note is that when you do feel better don't rush back into work right away.

Set a pace for yourself and set realistic expectations for what to get done in the day. If you get one thing done and that's all you do, that’s great! Taking the time to honor our needs builds a new level of self-trust and allows us to clearly see our needs versus expectations.

Here’s to the journey with love,

Pamela

Cristol O'Loughlin

Cristol Barrett O’Loughlin is a seasoned executive and storyteller. As Founder and CEO of Raregivers™ (formerly ANGEL AID), Cristol is fiercely passionate about providing social, emotional, physical and financial relief to Raregivers™ ~ patients, caregivers, and professionals who hold both hope and grief in the same human heart. A former UCLA instructor, she co-founded advertising firm, The Craftsman Agency, and is humbled to have advised global brands such as NBA, Walt Disney Company, 20th Century Fox, Microsoft, Cisco and Google. During her tenure at IBM Life Sciences, she helped accelerate advancements in cheminformatics and data-driven biotechnology. Watch her TEDx talk ‘Caring for the Caregivers’ at https://www.raregivers.global/tedx and the ‘Raregivers LIVE’ broadcast from Microsoft to 12 cities around the world.

https://www.raregivers.global
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