Taking Care of Ourselves

"I have come to believe that caring for myself is not self-indulgent.  Caring for myself is an act of survival." Audre Lorde

Amen.  I have come to believe that too.  I am still feeling the effects of the stress of caregiving, now at 6 months past his death.  Some nights I have extreme difficulty sleeping.  My cognitive processing is still not optimal.  As caregivers, we must remember:  according to the Roslyn Carter Institute, 1/3 of caregivers die from the stress of providing caregiving, 1/3 damage their health beyond repair because of caregivin, and 1/3 come through the experience better people for having done it.  We need to practice self-care to survive caregiving.