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PALM TREE
10 Tips to Help Caregivers Stay in the Moment
Being in the present moment is helpful to manage the stress, anxiety, and diff erent emotions while caregiving. With practice, you can learn to self-manage these emotions and be kinder to yourself and to others. You can learn to see yourself and many situations diff erently, whilst helping you to respond to everyday challenges more eff ectively.
1. Breathe. Focus on your belly or chest and notice the physical feelings of breathing in and out. Do this for 10 full breaths.
2. Take more moments to pause. Before answering your phone or approaching a situation that may cause you anxiety take 3 breaths. You can try this while stopped in a Traffi c jam, and before entering your home.
3. Notice your food. Take 10 seconds before you eat to pay attention to the colors, textures, smells of the food on your plate.
4. Eat without distractions. Eat one meal a day in silence without any distractions: no mobile phone, TV, or computer. If this is too hard, then start by eating for the fi rst 5 minutes of your meal with no distractions.
5. Walk with all your senses on. During a walk, think about the colors, sounds, smells, you notice? How does the wind or temperature feel on your skin? What kind of surface are you walking on; How does it feel?
6. Everyday activity with full awareness. Do a household task such as washing, folding laundry, or gardening with your full attention and using all your senses.
7. Change a routine. Changing a routine helps to break the automatic thinking and doing habits we all have. Sometimes the automatic thought or action is not the most helpful or skillful option. Some ideas to practice getting a fresh perspective include:
• Take a new route when you go for a walk or drive somewhere.
• Get off a stop earlier and walk the rest of the way.
• Brush your teeth with the opposite hand.
• Notice your reaction to the change. How do you feel?
8. Do just 1 thing at a time and pay full attention to what you are doing, right now. Using all 5 senses of sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste can help focus your attention.
9. Get off the runaway train of thoughts. When you notice getting lost in your thoughts, or being on autopilot, notice what took your attention away. Then bring your focus back to your 5 senses and the task you are doing.
10. Practice. A lot of repetition may be needed to bring focus and attention to the present moment. This repetition is a normal and necessary part of the process. Everybody needs to practice staying in the moment.
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ELDER LIVING GUIDE
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