“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” — Lao Tzu
As family caregivers, we often face fear and courage simultaneously. We know what it feels like both to be afraid and to keep going in spite of our fears. Whether we are learning from our mistakes, finding our own inner strength, choosing progress over perfection, or practicing saying "no," we are embracing courage. It can be scary not knowing what any given day will bring, but as this Lao Tzu quote emphasizes, when we care for someone else, we gain courage as a result.
Courage isn't the absence of fear, but the acceptance of our fears and our perseverance in spite of them. We are courageous when we admit we don't know something or when we apologize after inadvertently hurting someone. Courage doesn't require perfection, just our own ability to keep growing and learning.
3 TOOLS TO DEVELOP COURAGE
- Notice and Accept Your Thoughts and Emotions - It is natural to feel scared, stressed, and overwhelmed at times. Life is hard, and unexpected situations and events occur! There is no shame in experiencing emotions. What matters is what we do with them.
- Embrace Your Fears and Share with Others - Recognize which of your fears are legitimate and which are unfounded. Remember, you are NOT alone. Find your community of support. Join our group coaching here!
- Own Your Power and Choose Courage - Courage is something we can learn. Take stock of your strengths and room for growth and courageously take action. You've got this!
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It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. ~Edmund Hillary
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THEME AFFIRMATIONS
Use affirmations to inspire you or reframe your thoughts
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My mistakes are lessons that teach me how to do better
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I recognize my strength even during hard times
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My focus is on my progress, not on perfection
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I take breaks when I need to rest
APPS FOR GUIDED MEDITATION
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Make Me Better - This app provides daily encouragement with more than 350 short articles about personality development, self-help, productivity, motivation, and more!
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Bearable - This app helps you track chronic health issues and disorders so you can figure out what improves and worsens your symptoms.
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Finch - This app promotes daily self-care through self-care exercises and goal-setting.
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Courageous Parents Network - The CPN mobile app offers an easy way for families and the providers who support them to find, save, carry and share CPN content (videos, podcasts, guides).
PODCASTS
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BOOKS
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Story Telling: A Writing Life - This book by novelist Isabel Allende provides tips for how we can tell our stories.
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Ply - This novel by Hernan Diaz explores the story of an orphan living in a futuristic city.
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Anger Is Only a Shadow - This novel by Elizabeth Acevedo shares the story of a teenage girl on probation yearning for freedom.
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The Vanishing Family - This book by Robert Kolker dives into the story of a family with a history of frontotemporal dementia and the science and research fighting to prevent all forms of dementia.
ARTICLES
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November's Book Club will be held on Friday, November 20 at 11 am ET on Zoom. We will be discussing the BOOK: I Want to Thank You - This book details Gina Hamadey’s experience writing thank you notes each day for an entire year. Remember, we are a no judgement no shame Book Club - come to discuss the topic of Gratitude, whether you've had the chance to read the book or NOT!
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Our next Question, Persuade, and Refer/QPR Suicide Prevention training is
Thursday, November 19 at 7 pm ET!
Please register here to receive the Zoom link! You need only register for ONE two-hour session. Space is limited for each session, so please register only for a time you know you can attend so spaces don't fill up and prevent others from attending.
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November's theme is COLLABORATION. We will be managing our perceptions, letting go of comparisons, and practicing gratitude. 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 November's Micro-Challenges Calendar here.
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Courage to Caregivers Breathing Practice for November: 3-Part Breath
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 November's Breathing Practice - with this practice, we will explore how the breath flows from our nose to our lungs to our diaphragm. This low, slow, and expansive breath is excellent for calming. You can watch November's instructional video for 3-Part Breath here, and remember to subscribe to our 2026 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.
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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!
©2026 Courage to Caregivers, Inc.
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