APRIL THEME: COMMON HUMANITY

"Self-compassion is rooted in our common humanity. When we struggle or make mistakes, there’s often an irrational but pervasive sense of isolation – as if 'I' were the only person in the world having this painful experience. All humans suffer, however. Not the same way or the same amount, but the very definition of being 'human' means being vulnerable, flawed and imperfect. When we are self-compassionate, we recognize that our suffering connects us rather than separates us from others."

~ Dr. Kristin Neff

As Dr. Kristin Neff puts aptly here, being human means we have vulnerabilities and flaws, and that we make mistakes. In our caregiving, we often feel the pressure to be "perfect" and make the right decisions all the time. It becomes easy to feel isolated and as if no one understands what we are going through. However, COMMON HUMANITY reminds us that we are not alone. While our particular challenges and stories may be unique, the fact that we all know what it feels like to be vulnerable and imperfect allows us to build bridges to one another rather than close doors.

Life is hard. Our lives are full of both pain and joy. We experience complex grief and loss and the feelings of isolation that come with it. When we step back and remember we are not alone, we can break through that loneliness and find connection and belonging. Common humanity means acknowledging that we are never truly going through life by ourselves. Hand-in-hand, we can listen and support one another, acting with compassion toward others and ourselves.

3 Tools to Help Appreciate Our Common Humanity

Remember that we are not alone. It is sometimes easier to see what divides us instead of what brings us together. However, common humanity is not the absence of difference. Common humanity simply means recognizing that even with our differences, we are still human and have the capacity to connect with one another.
Practice self-compassion. As we emphasize here at Courage to Caregivers, we cannot be truly kind to others if we are not also taking care of ourselves. Remind yourself that you are doing the best you can, and talk to yourself as you would talk to a beloved friend.
Embrace connections. Focus on what connects us to other people rather than what makes us different. By building connections based on our common humanity, we can support both ourselves and those around us.

When we hear the other person's feelings and needs, we recognize our common humanity ~ Marshall B. Rosenberg

THEME AFFIRMATIONS
Use affirmations to inspire you or reframe your thoughts

I build bridges with other people, not barriers
I give myself the space and compassion to grieve in my own way
More and more I realize I am not alone
I am strengthened by the common humanity we all share

APPS FOR GUIDED MEDITATION

Meetup - This website allows you to find and create groups in your local area as well as online centered around topics of your interest such as language-learning, hiking, and more.
Untangle - This app allows you to connect with other people experiencing loss and grief and build community. They also have a range of workshops that relate to wellness and financial planning.
Nextdoor - This website allows you to connect with the people in your neighborhood and see news, stories, etc. related to your hometown.
OLIO - This app allows you to share and find products locally to avoid waste and increase sustainability.

PODCASTS

The Office Politics of Caregiving - This podcast episode explores the importance of providing support for caregivers at work.
Confronting the Stress of Loss - This American Institute of Stress podcast episode focuses on loss as a shared human experience, yet its effects on our mental, emotional, and physical well-being are deeply personal.
Why Eating Alone is Bad for You - This podcast episode explains the benefits of eating with other people.
The Contagious Power of Compassion - This podcast episode dives into how compassionate dialogue helps bring people together.

Are You Languishing? Escape the Epidemic of Emptiness - Renowned sociologist Corey Keyes, author of "Languishing: How to Feel Alive Again in a World That Wears Us Down," reveals powerful practices to reignite your passion, purpose and human connections - the key ingredients to flourishing mental health. Discover an insightful path to feeling vibrantly alive.

BOOKS

The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More - This book by Jefferson Fisher provides advice for how we can have better conversations.
Dog Flowers - This memoir by Danielle Geller examines a daughter’s journey after her mother’s death from alcohol withdrawal.
Mornings Without Mii - This book by Mayumi Inaba shares the 20-year long relationship between a woman and her cat.
Theft - This novel by Abdulrazak Gurnah follows three young people in Tanzania as they live in a world of global change.

ARTICLES

Can We Build a World Where We All Belong? - This article interviews scholar and writer john a. powell on how we can build bridges and create belonging.
Grief and Loss - This Family Caregiver Alliance article delves into the different kinds of grief and loss that may show up in caregiving experiences.
Caregiving Can Be a Tough, Lonely Mission. One Daughter Found Ways to Reconnect - This article shares the story of Dawn Shedrick as she works to break through the loneliness of caregiving.
What Do You Know About Common Humanity? - This article explores the benefits of common humanity in an environment that is becoming increasingly more individualistic.

The Health Resource Network created National Stress Awareness Month back in 1982 to raise awareness on stress reduction. The American Institute of Stress defines "stress" as "the body’s nonspecific response to any demand – pleasant or unpleasant." While often thought of solely as an emotional concept, stress is also biological, psychological, and social. This month, we are sharing our favorite resources for stress reduction.

Caregiving Specific Resources:

Help Guide provides six tips for relieving stress:

Recognize when your body or mind is telling you that you are experiencing stress.
Identify how you respond to stress. Do you experience a "freeze" response? Or do you experience a "fight-or-flight" response?
Ground yourself using your five senses. What can you look at? Listen to? Smell? Touch? Taste?
Take inspiration from your environment. Remember what calmed you as a child or observe how other people manage stress. You can also take a break from technology.
Make quick stress relief a regular practice so that you can easily calm yourself in tense moments.
Practice stress relief no matter your location. There are ways to slow down and focus on your senses wherever you are.

For more resources on stress reduction, check out Help Guide's articles on stress and listen to the Greater Good Science Center's Happiness Break podcast.

The opioid epidemic has had a devastating effect on families and communities, leading to a significant rise in the number of youth who are placed in kinship caregiving arrangements. These arrangements involve children being cared for by relatives such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, or older siblings when their parents are unable to provide the necessary support due to issues related to addiction. Whether the care arrangement is formal or informal, kinship caregivers are vital safety nets for their grandfamily, providing essential support and stability.

By participating in this survey (or sharing with a friend), you will contribute your valuable perspective and help us understand the unique and often complex challenges faced by kinship caregivers. This information is vital to developing programs that can better assist both kinship caregivers and the families in their care.

This needs assessment is sponsored by Courage to Caregivers, Project White Butterfly, The Miles Group.

The April Book Club will be held TOMORROW - Friday, April 25 at 11 am ET on Zoom. We will be discussing the book "It’s OK That You’re Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn’t Understand" by Megan Devine.

She also has a podcast if you're interested!

Meet Maria Quinn, our Family Peer Support Specialist. Maria meets with caregivers individually to provide peer support as well as leads our group Family Peer Support on Wednesday nights. Maria is also a Wellness Coach, and Drums Alive Instructor. Maria began navigating through the mental health system in 2020 when her teenage daughter began experiencing severe depression and anxiety after the devastating losses of close family members. She became her daughter's life support and was determined to do all she could to care for her. Next to her spiritual routine, learning about the brain, caring for those living with mental illness, and supporting the people who care for them became a passion. In 2023, Maria worked as a parent advocate for a local health department, serving more than 30 families. When the program was discontinued, Maria still saw the desperate need to support the parents of children struggling with mental health challenges. This led to her beginning her own support and wellness program. It's because of her own lived experience and compassion to help others cope successfully with life's challenges that she is happy to be a part of the Courage to Caregivers Team.

Melissa Davis joins our team as Development Coordinator. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Communications from John Carroll University; and has experience in marketing, public relations, nonprofit and community relations, as well as program and event planning. Melissa is a trained yoga and meditation teacher. She practices therapeutic art as a form of self-care, and hosts peer groups in monthly creative care activities. Melissa joins Courage to Caregivers as a committed advocate and compassionate caregiver to her teenage daughter with developmental disabilities.

May's theme is GROWTH MINDSET. The capacity to learn and grow is always with us! Next month, we will be practicing staying curious, avoiding thinking in the extremes, redefining guilt and shame, and recommitting to our goals. With micro-goals, it’s easier to take the next right step - as Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said, “A journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step.” Check out May's Micro-Challenges Calendar here.

Courage to Caregivers Breathing Practice for May: Rectangle Breathing

As we support caregivers to make breathing and meditation a practice, we're pleased to share our Breathing Meditation Facilitator Cathy and her monthly breathing practice how-to videos. You can join us for May's Breathing Practice - with this practice, we can re-align the breath during stressful moments. This breath is good for heightening awareness and for sharpening focus all while calming the body. You can watch May's instructional video for Rectangle Breathing here, and remember to subscribe to our 2025 Monthly Breathing Practices playlist to stay updated each month. You can also subscribe to our Breathing Meditation playlist, where we have four years of our weekly breathing meditation recordings, and follow along on our Spotify Breathing Meditation playlist.

The mission of Courage to Caregivers is to empower and equip carers to navigate their journey. We envision a world where healthy carers lead to healthier families and communities. We're in the caregiver burnout prevention business!