Chocolate: an excuse to enjoy

"A new review of previously published studies adds weight to the claim that chocolate is good for the heart.
Taken together, five of seven studies included in the review linked high chocolate consumption with a 37 percent reduction in cardiovascular disease risk, a 31 percent reduction in diabetes risk and a 29 percent reduction in stroke risk when compared to low chocolate consumption." Katie Moisse, ABC News.

What good news for those of us who love chocolate.  My favorite is dark chocolate covered almonds.  Yum!  It is good to find helpful and healthy ways to help us deal with the stress of caregiving, and to support our own well being.  So, I will hold up a dark chocolate covered almond in salute to you all.

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A new review of previously published studies adds weight to the claim that chocolate is good for the heart.
Taken together, five of seven studies included in the review linked high chocolate consumption with a 37 percent reduction in cardiovascular disease risk, a 31 percent reduction in diabetes risk and a 29 percent reduction in stroke risk when compared to low chocolate consumption

Laughter

"While the science isn't rock solid, there is evidence that laughter helps boost your immunity," Health Magazine Sept. 2011.

Another good reason to find opportunities to laugh.  I have also read that laughter is good for one's stomach muscles, brain chemistry, and general well being.  Having my sister here recently was a wonderful opportunity to laugh.  We have a similar sense of humor and memories that caused us both to laugh until tears flowed.  I have read that the tears from laughter are chemically different from those of sorrow, and that both are beneficial in helping the body release tension.  So, whether it is with a good friend with a similar sense of humor, or a movie you know makes you laugh, or a comedy act you find funny --- let us find reasons to laugh. I do have one guiding rule with laughter; it is only funny if it is at no one's expense.  We each differ in what we find funny.  What makes you laugh?

Two ways to support happiness

"Feeling socially connected and being outside are the biggest sources of cheer." Dr. Richard Ryan, University of Rochester.

With the time-constraints that being a caregivers entails, it is sometimes hard to make sure we get enough of either social connection or time outdoors.  I can manage time outdoors every day with my early morning run, but being socially connected with supportive and positive people is far more challenging for me.  It is sometimes not possible to get away for coffee or lunch with a friend.  One way I do keep socially connected is by making sure I have weekly conversations and/or emails with those people who are lifelines for me.  How do you keep social connections and being outside in your busy days?  

Blogging

"Blogging or any kind of expressive writing, such as journaling, can dispatch your demons and make you feel happier." Health Magazine Sept. 2011.

Writing has always been my joy, and I write this blog to help support my own behavior in doing this caregiving job in the way I want to, and to provide support and good information to others in caregiving roles or roles that have accompanying stress.  With my background of degrees in English and psychology, and years as a mental health practitioner and spiritual sojourner, I have accumulated a combination of skills that I hope provide support and inspiration.  If not writing, what ways do you "dispatch your demons"?  Some find solace in yoga, gardening, nature, dancing, painting, sewing or knitting.  What do you have in place to express yourself? 

Neck massage

"The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine reports getting a neck massage is an effective pain buster," Health Magazine Sept. 2011

Perhaps between trips to the doctor, trips to the pharmacists, paying bills, doing yard work, doing laundry, preparing meals, etc., etc., you do not have time for a full massage.  The above research indicates that even just a neck massage can bring us relief from tension.  Who is on your team to support your health?  Research tells us that this job of caregiving can be very detrimental to our health.  Besides yearly visits with a physician and the recommended tests, I see an alternative medical person, a reflexologist and a body worker --- not nearly as often as I would like, but I see these people as critical to my health.  They, and my spiritual advisor, are a necessity for me.  Who do you have to help you care for your health and handle the stress of caregiving and life? 

Higher behavior

"I am my own understanding of God."  Emma Curtis Hopkins.  "My life, my behavior, and my experience don't lie --- they paint a vibrant picture of what I truly understand God to be." Leta Miller.

What if that is true?  That we are expressions of God, and our lives reflect our understanding of God.  Would that make a difference in how we choose to live?   Would we be less judgmental of others and treat all others with respect and dignity?  Would we live generously, confident that God will provide what we need?  Would we be consistent in our self care and self regard?  Let us consider what we believe God to be, and let us consider that we are expressions of God.  Are we living our lives Godlike?!  If not, we can always choose higher and better behavior for ourselves. 

Opportunity versus difficulty

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." Winston Churchill.

Have you ever stopped to notice whether you viewed a difficulty as an opportunity or an opportunity as a difficulty?  For the past two weeks we have had a mouse in the house, and, I know, people say you never have just one mouse -- but I think we did.  It took me two weeks and four trips to the store for purchases to add to our mouse arsenal before I caught him.  Having a mouse in the house, which readily ran out even when we had guests, became quite a focus for me.  A lot of time and energy went into trying to figure out how to "out wit" the mouse.  He could take bait off the traps and leave them unsprung.  Amazing! 

Is having a mouse in the house a difficulty or an opportunity?   I clearly saw it as a difficulty while he was in the house, but having him in the house became an opportunity for me when I used it as to mouse-proof the exterior of our house.  A handyman spent several hours yesterday making sure all chips and nicks along the foundation were plugged.   So, one mouse created an opportunity for me to prevent other mice from coming in.

How can we make this situation of dementia be an opportunity for us instead of just a difficulty?