Sometimes it can feel as if everything is working against you as a caregiver.

One of the tools that can help you to feel less out of control is mindfulness. The simplest definition of mindfulness is just being present in everything that you’re doing. It’s both easier and more complicated than you might expect.

Mindfulness Means Focusing on What’s in Front of You

Being present in the moment is mostly what mindfulness entails. When you’re focused on what’s in front of you, you aren’t worried about whatever else might happen or didn’t happen at all. The ability to be mindful is something that will pay off for you in a variety of situations, not just as a caregiver. It will also help you to deal with other types of stress.

Mindfulness Isn’t Always Easy

As easy as mindfulness sounds, it isn’t necessarily that easy in practice. There’s a lot more involved in putting mindfulness to work for you in your everyday life than you might expect. It helps if you apply mindfulness in one or two areas of your life at first so that you can learn how to apply it to other areas. Like muscles, when you work with this skill more often, it can become a lot easier.

You’re Going to Need to Change How You Focus

When you adjust your focus from multiple items at a time to being present with one situation at a time, that feels like you’re not getting a lot done. But you’re going to gradually find that mindfulness and practicing with narrowing your focus gives you a chance to get way more done. If you’ve been multitasking and flitting from one task to another for a long time, that may feel more natural to you.

You’re Able to See Where Your Care Plan Has Gaps

Spending some time being mindful gives you a chance to see where you need more help. As a caregiver, you may be able to do a lot yourself, but you don’t have to. Understanding where you need the most help enables you to be more open to that help. You can also see where options for getting that help truly are, which can be a lot more difficult to do if your focus is split.

Mindfulness doesn’t have to be perfect to be effective for you. Work with what you have and give yourself the space that you need to be the best caregiver that you can be.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Homecare in Menlo Park, CA, call the caring staff at Aviva In-Home Care.
Call today: (415) 795-2203

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Evan Loevner

CEO at Aviva In-Home Care

As a former hospital administrator, I launched Aviva with the goal of having a more focused, direct impact on the delivery of care than I could ever accomplish within a hospital setting. For me, the joy of running an organization like Aviva In-Home Care is having the ability to positively improve the lives of individuals needing customized care. As a passionate Bay Area resident, I know that many local seniors can benefit from new approaches to in-home care, that will bring them more connection to the community, and provide families with a greater sense of comfort that their loved one is indeed matched with an ideal caregiver.

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