Caregiving Can Be An Addiction

"I have been learning that the life of a caretaker is as addictive as the life of an alcoholic.  At the heart of this is the ever-present worry that unless doing something for another there is no possibility of being loved." Mark Nepo

This is a pitfall I think all of us who are caregivers must avoid.  It is easy to get our identity, our sense of purpose from caregiving.  It is easy to feel a sense of purpose, and even a feeling of being loved for all we do.  That is a very dangerous place to tread.  All of us who are caregivers need to avoid doing it to feel loved.  Yes, life has given us the task of caregiving, but, perhaps, it is to find out how to be true to ourselves - rather then be devoured by the tasks involved.  To be loved for who we are is the ultimate goal.  Caregiving is simply a task, one of many we have.