What comes to mind when you hear the word "COURAGE?" Do you think of larger-than-life figures? The battles and revolutions you studied in school? The brave actions that individuals and communities have taken across time to change the world? Courage is a term that we hear often, yet we struggle sometimes to attribute to ourselves.
However, this month, we recognized the big and small ways we can be courageous in our everyday lives. Whether it is through LEARNING from our mistakes, FINDING strength amidst adversity, CHOOSING progress over perfection, or SAYING no, we bring courage to ourselves as caregivers.
Brené Brown says it best in her book The Gifts of Imperfection: "The root of the word courage is cor – the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage had a very different definition than it does today. Courage originally meant ‘To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.’
“Over time, this definition has changed, and today, courage is more synonymous with being heroic. Heroics is important and we certainly need heroes, but I think we’ve lost touch with the idea that speaking honestly and openly about who we are, about what we’re feeling, and about our experiences (good and bad) is the definition of courage. Heroics is often about putting our life on the line. Ordinary courage is about putting our vulnerability on the line. In today’s world that’s pretty extraordinary.”
3 TOOLS TO CULTIVATE 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 can 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 got this!
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"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it."
- Nelson Mandela
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THEME AFFIRMATIONS
Use affirmations to inspire you or reframe your thoughts
- My mistakes are lessons that teach me more about myself
- Although it’s dark outside now, I see a light within myself
- My imperfections give me room to grow and change
- I say “no” when I need to rest
APPS FOR GUIDED MEDITATION
- Healthy Minds Innovations - This app provides podcast-style lessons and meditations all for free and backed by science, that will help you develop skills for everyday use.
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ThinkUp-Daily Affirmations - This app provides affirmations to help with motivation, optimism, and self-esteem.
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Mindshift - This app is great for handling anxiety and helping you find ways to relax and be mindful using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques.
- 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).
ARTICLES
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- How and When to Say No - This article provides insight into the power of saying “no” and how and when we can best use it.
PODCASTS
BOOKS
- A Radical Kindness: The Way of Self-compassion - This book by Jack Ricchiuto explores how we can be kinder to ourselves and learn to love our imperfect selves.
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Small Rain - This novel by Garth Greenwell narrates the story of a poet forced to navigate the American healthcare system following a medical crisis.
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We’re Alone - This collection of essays by Edwidge Danticat explores both the pains and struggles of the world today as well as the possibilities for community.
- Codependent No More - This book by Melody Beattie explains how we can create healthy boundaries and find healing.
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Courage to Caregivers regularly gathers feedback and insight regarding our programs and support for caregivers as part of our best practices and for our annual Certification Process with the State of Ohio.
As a valued stakeholder, we need your help with TWO surveys as we focus on where we can improve and grow ourselves! These can be completed in 10 minutes TOTAL for both! Thank you for the gift of your TIME!
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1. Stakeholder Satisfaction Survey
Please share your honest feedback with us via our Stakeholder Satisfaction Survey (linked here). You may remain anonymous, or share your information. We are happy to follow up with a conversation if that would be helpful.
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2. Communication & Marketing Survey
As part of our ongoing strategic planning, Courage to Caregivers is assessing the effectiveness of our communications and marketing strategy. Your insights would be incredibly valuable in this process. We kindly ask that you take a moment to complete this short survey to help us gather feedback. If you are open to providing further insights, we'd love to reach out for a follow-up discussion.
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In honor of November being National Family Caregivers Month, we're hosting our 5th Annual Caring for the Caregivers Virtual Summit for unpaid family caregivers and and professional caregivers (9 free CEUs) of all kinds - e.g. licensed social workers, counselors, nurses, and of course, peer supporters! Join us online November 12-13-14 from 11 am to 2:30 pm ET!
Register via Zoom by November 11.
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November's theme is COLLABORATION. By managing our perceptions, practicing gratitude, and collaborating with others, we can recognize our own strengths and the support we need to move forward. 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 October: Deer Seal 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 October's Breathing Practice - with this practice, we can relieve feelings of being overwhelmed and panicked. This breath is particularly helpful as a prelude to sleep. You can watch October's instructional video for Deer Seal Breathing here, and remember to subscribe to our 2024 Monthly Breathing Practices playlist to stay updated each month. You can also subscribe to our Breathing Meditation playlist, where we upload 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 provide hope, support, and courage to caregivers and loved ones of those living with mental illness. We're in the caregiver burnout prevention business!
©2024 Courage to Caregivers, Inc.
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