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Many times we aren't aware of our daily thoughts and how they can impact our overall well being. Our thoughts and feelings are projected by the words we use and the tone we use when saying them. The thoughts we think will either tear us down or build us up. If we don't take control of our thoughts we can even be terrorizing ourselves and zap our energy. Thoughts such as "No matter what I do it's never enough" leaves us feeling like were not good enough which in turn only makes us feel like giving up. If we replace that thought with "I always do my best to care for my _____, leaves us feeling good about what we are doing and that in turn gives us a sense of accomplishment and supports our feeling good. As caregivers we find ourselves giving lots of love to the ones we are caring for and now we need to show love to ourselves as well. Lets see how many ways we can come up with to give ourselves this love.. How many ways can we add to this sentence to complete it.. "I love myself therefore..

I love myself therefore I take a bubble bath when everyone is in bed.
I love myself therefore when I make a mistake I forgive myself and others.

Now it's your turn...

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This morning even though I've already felt the stress of caring for my father I am thankful to have him still with me in my life.
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I am really thankful I made those energy bars yesterday because this morning breakfast was a breeze!
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I love myself therefore today I choose to release all fears and doubts.
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i love myself therefore i am able to get up and cook breakfast for pa :-)
now its laundry , dishes , blah blah , i just appreciated that i am able to do it all .
lalalaaaa ...
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I approve of myself even if I fall short of what others expect of me. I approve of myself even if I have a bad day I know this is going to happen from time to time. I love myself therefore I take care of my needs as well as others in my family.
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I remember something I heard the Dali Lama say that heartens me when things are overwhelming. "If there's a solution to the problem, don't worry. If there's not a solution to the problem, don't worry." I find this affirming because it reminds me that I am someone who finds and applies solutions. And if there is no solution, there are no grounds for me beating myself up.
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I think the most common mistake we all make that completely zap our energies are criticism and fear. We can actually be terrorizing ourselves with our thoughts by repeating them to ourselves over and over. For example the "what ifs" the best way to combat these thoughts is to make a conscious effort to pay attention to what we are thinking throughout the day. These negative thoughts only support our fears making them control how we feel about what we are doing in life. As soon as we catch ourselves in a negative thought we can say to the thought... Cancel cancel, then follow up with the affirmation "I choose new thought patterns to support me and calm my fears"

If we have a tendency to thinking the "what ifs" with regard to our parent or whomever we are the caregiver for we can create so much fear that it not only affects us mentally, emotionally but physically. Here is some of my favorite affirmations to combat the "what ifs"

My loved one is safe and I am at peace.
I am safe and care for all my needs.
I replace my fears with love

I've also found that in my own experience as a Caregiver that this affirmation supports how I feel about the one I care for and how they in turn feel about me..

I love my _______ therefore everyday I am learning new ways of looking at the crazy things he/she says and does. I pray dear God please help me to see this person and everything about this situation differently. And the list can go on and on but this is a good place to start.
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Today I am thankful that Hurricane Irene passed us by. I am praying for the rest of you further up the coast and hope that you and your loved ones are safely sheltered from the storm.
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Last night I started a "Gratitude Journal" and I was amazed by how many things I have to be grateful for in my life! I would highly recommend that we all do this to help pull ourselves out of the overwhelming depression that can set in as we continue to care for others. We can all be grateful for something in our lives. Focusing on something positive can lift our spirits and revitalize our energies.
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I always get the help I need. The Universe supports me and my loved ones and I are safe. When I feel that I am carrying to much on my shoulders I am reminded not to try to do it alone. I comfort others and they comfort me in return. I make it a point to see and appreciate what I do have in my life and be grateful. There is always something to be grateful for. No matter how bad things can get there is always hope if we seek the path of love.
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Sometimes we all have a dark night of the soul, be it self inflicted or outside of ourselves. It's always darkest before the Dawn.
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I love myself, because I put aside past feelings of negativity towards my mother to become her caregiver. I have given my mother the opportunity to live out the rest of her life at home. I am proud that I stood my ground with siblings, even thought that costed my relationship with them. I proudly stood up for my mother and her needs. I became her voice when no one would listen or help. Even though I am a stressed caregiver, I have been given the strength to make it thru each day. I have really opened up my eyes to see how special my mother is. And that she too deserves the respect and dignity that I do my best to provide. When all this comes to an end, there will be NO REGRETS. Only wonderful memories that I can cherish forever.
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I love myself and others everyday because I am willingly to let go of the daily aggravations and move beyond them one by one. I pray for Divine help for strength, love and forgiveness. I forgive therefore I don't carry it inside me to wreak havoc inside my body, mind and soul. I am at peace within. I make my world a better place to be and I am loved.
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i love myself cuz -
i am able to get up and move around to take care of my love ones .
i would realy love myself -if i could lay on the beach and have someone to take care of me .
bring me margaritta - bring me fried lobster tails - more margaritta .
yummie .....
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oops its suppose to be gator tails ! well lobster and gator i like em both :-) bring em on !!!
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I haven't tried gator tails yet, for real. Since I live in Florida it won't be long before I get around to it. Margaritas yum! I love Lobster. Once my Hubby caught a 5-7 lb. lobster while he was trolling for fish and even though he didn't have a lobster permit he stowed it away and we had it for dinner. Yum!
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there used to be a place called RJ GATOR . it was very good . last i heard they shut the place down . lack of bussniess . damn !
when u get the chance and see one on ur menu u shall order some .. :-)
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yeah, there was a RJ Gator right here in Port St. Lucie area where I live but they did close it down. My hubby was telling me that they sell Gator tail at the seafood market. so perhaps we will give it a try.. I imagine it tastes like chicken, LOL
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I believe. I believe that we all deserve to feel safe. I believe that we all deserve to be happy. I BELIEVE.
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Forgiveness even when others don't deserve it stops the damage that is done to us on the inside because when we forgive we can let it go.
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Today I am so grateful for the friends I have made here. In my opinion this group of people are the cream of the crop of humanity. I am the type of person who has been extremely cautious when it comes to choosing friends and I know that we all have our faults, that is what it means to be human, but underneath it all this group has a heart of gold.
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cricket - thats the way i feel too . big hugs !! xoxox
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I love myself therefore I give to myself the love and care that I need even when that means saying no to others at times.
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... I'll never feel like a doormat..
... I'll always make time to look good.
... taking to the bottle is not an option.
... I have a right to be happy; even for 5 minutes every day.
... I won't hold grudges or harbor any resentment towards anyone.
... I won't allow anyone to dictate who I'm supposed to be, how to feel about myself, and how much I'm worth.


Good night family!
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When I feel overwhelmed I will find new ways to look at my care-giving situation. I will forget about Blame for it doesn't strengthen my resolve to do what is right. I will let go of anger and resentment because they are poison to my cells. I will keep my focus on what is good in my situation and be aware of the ways I can make things better for myself and the one I care for. When things are at their worse, I will know that I am safe, I am loved and that if I don't feel I am appreciated by others, I appreciate how much I can love. When I feel like crying I will cry and know that it's okay. When I feel like I need help I will ask, I will accept the help that comes from others. I will fortify my strength by helping others. I will not be a Martyr in my cause.
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I want to repost something said in another thread because it's something all of us no matter what we are doing or whatever circumstances we are in applies to us equally. We are all connected on a Soul level. Circumstances and Money or possessions or others don't make us who we are. and AnnT gets it in her statement below.. enjoy.

AnnT, I loved what you said "Am I too good to let someone help me? Just because I used to wear a suit and now I don't I should now feel like nothing? Did the suit make me? NO! I was just wearing the darned suit! " I love it when we get real with ourselves like that and know that we are MORE than our circumstances! Big HUGS to you!
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May you find enough inner strength to determine your own worth by yourself, and not be dependent on another's judgment of your accomplishments.

Blessings,
Bridget
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Thanks BridgetW, I think to many of us get so caught up in the stress of caring for others that we forget to not only care for ourselves but we can easily lose belief in our self worth and TG we have each other to remind us when we get off in this way.
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I read something interesting today and wanted to share it with you all. It is a formula for improving the quality of our lives..

We should think thoughts that make us feel good
We should make choices that make us feel good
We chose actions that make us feel good

Okay this gives me reason to reflect.. I was emptying the clean dishes and putting them away and while I was putting the silverware away I was thinking How can doing this make me feel good? The answer came to me that It makes me feel good to have organized silverware. I know this is a simple thing but as caregivers our lives are full of to many of these simple and not so simple tasks and I think it might be helpful to us to ask ourselves these questions.

What thoughts do I have that make me happy (try to focus on them when we can)
What choices do I have that make me happy (even the smallest ones can make a difference in that it reminds us that we do have some choices) especially if we feel trapped in caregiving with no relief in sight.
What actions make me feel good? (even if its only getting to wash my own face)
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what makes me happy is to see that someone has sent me a hug !
always brings a smile on my face .
thats what makes me happy .
makes me happy every morning to see that my dad looks so comfertable in bed and he is still breathing . thank u jesus ...
what makes me happy is to wake up feeling pain free . thank u doctor ....
another thing makes me happy to see aging care dot com .
xoxo
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