"Many studies have indicated that the heart is an exceptionally keen organ of perception -- sending messages, warnings, and information of all kinds before the brain responds. The great peacemakers have always modeled knowing the heart first, then working with the mind." Melodie Bellagio
This is an important concept to keep in mind. When we say that someone 'breaks our hearts', that can be literally true. Stress is a real heart-killer. The stress of caregiving can damage our hearts. Even now with Dwane in assisted living, when I see him and he is belligerent, I feel stress in my heart area. This is something all families face who are caring for someone with dementia: are we going to have the stress of actual caregiving -- or are we going to have the stress of caregiving from some distance? Either way is stressful, and we each need to find what is the best path for us and how to follow that path. And we need to be gentle with ourselves as we find the way we want to be in every stage of this caregiving. One way to do that is to listen to our hearts. What message, warning or information is your heart trying to tell you? Let us befriend our hearts and listen to the messages it is telling us.
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