NOVEMBER THEME: Collaboration

“One of the most important things you can do on this earth is to let people know they are not alone.” - Shannon L. Adler

We can't go through life without collaboration. Whether we're listening to and acting on our loved one's needs or scheduling a meetup with friends, we are constantly collaborating with those around us. However, as caregivers, opening ourselves up to collaboration can feel particularly complicated. It's not uncommon to find ourselves feeling isolated as we wonder if our peers and coworkers can understand our journeys and as we feel pressured to take on our responsibilities alone. We may even question whether or not we have the right to tell our stories as it is our loved one's stories of living with mental illness and other chronic or serious illnesses.

At Courage to Caregivers, we make it clear that you are not alone. When we recognize and honor the strengths and wisdom of both the people around us and ourselves and become open to collaboration, we are able to work together to care for not just our loved ones but also ourselves. We are much stronger together than we are alone.

3 TOOLS FOR COLLABORATION

1. Practice Active Listening - By listening to understand rather than to respond, we can better connect with those around us.
2. Be Empathetic - By feeling "with" others rather than "for," we can more strongly understand where people are coming from.
3. Ask for What You Need - By being specific about what we need from the people who want to be there for us, we can help others in supporting ourselves.

"Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean."

- Ryunosuke Satoro

THEME AFFIRMATIONS
Use affirmations to inspire you or reframe your thoughts

• I open my mind to the possibilities around me.

• There is no one else I need to compete with except myself.

• By practicing gratitude, I recognize all that has brought me to where I am today.

• Collaboration makes us all stronger.

APPS FOR GUIDED MEDITATION

• Understood - This website helps provide support to people with learning and thinking differences through advocacy, community, and resources.

• Kindness - This app connects people around the world through acts of kindness, allowing you to support your own well-being as well as those around you.

• Happyfeed - This app helps you practice gratitude through uploading photos, videos, and journal entries.

• CaringBridge - This app offers a space for multiple caregivers and family members to share pertinent information, such as updates, encouragement, and arranging care.

PODCASTS 

• Why Caring For Yourself Is The Best Thing To Do As a Caretaker - This podcast episode shares stories about family caregiving.

• Reclaiming Your Heart and Words with Aja Monet - This podcast episode with poet Aja Monet examines how we can find healing through poetry.

• The Joy of Not Being Dead - This podcast episode explores the importance of seeing life as finite to help us find happiness.

• How Rituals Keep Us Connected - This podcast episode looks into how rituals and holidays like Día de los Muertos can help build community and process grief and joy.

BOOKS

• No One Gets to Fall Apart - This memoir by Sarah LaBrie explores the history of mental illness within her family and herself.

• Shred Sisters - This novel by Betsy Lerner explores the relationship between two sisters following a devastating hurricane.

• Gather Me: A Memoir in Praise of the Books That Saved Me - This memoir by Glory Edim explores the books that gave her a safe place during a tumultuous childhood.

• Wild Chocolate: Across the Americas in Search of Cacao's Soul - This book by Rowan Jacobsen examines the people and communities involved in reviving wild cacao.

ARTICLES

• Eight Ways Your Perception of Reality Is Skewed - This article examines the different ways our perceptions are skewed by our biases, moods, and well-being.

• How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others - This article provides steps for how we can avoid comparing ourselves to others.

• What is Gratitude and Why Is It So Important? - This article shares what role gratitude can play in our lives and how we can better practice gratitude.

• What Our Intergenerational Household Taught All of Us About Care - This article illustrates how intergenerational connections can help us care better for one another.

November is National Family Caregivers Month! First recognized in 1994, National Family Caregivers Month has brought attention to the unique needs, experiences, and stories of family caregiving every year. This year, Caregiver Action Network has identified 2025's theme as "plug-in to care." Below, we are sharing some of our favorite resources to help YOU plug-in to care for yourself, your loved ones, and fellow caregivers.

• Caregiver Action Network (CAN) has its own desktop app specifically designed to allow caregivers to find support regarding insurance, financial and legal services, and mental well-being.
  • Also, Check out CAN's National Family Caregivers Month 2025 page for guides, webinars, and more.
  • CAN's webinar "From Stigma to Support: A Caregiver’s Role in Mental Health Care & Substance Use Recovery" is available to watch for free here!
• Mental Health America also has a support page for family caregivers that shares facts, resources, and guides for new and long-time caregivers.
• The National Academy for State Health Policy has tools for caregiving advocacy so caregivers everywhere can receive the support they need.
• SAMHSA shares information on how family caregivers can receive financial and technical support along with other resources.
• The John A. Hartford Foundation provides a list of advocacy and caregiving resources for family caregivers and clinicians and other professionals.
• The Family Caregiver Alliance shares caregiver stories and various resources.

And, as always, Courage to Caregivers is here to support you. Connect with us to learn more about our one-on-one coaching, group coaching, and other programming!

Caregiver Holiday Meet Ups are BACK! We know the Holidays can be an especially difficult time for unpaid family caregivers. We want you to know YOU ARE NEVER ALONE and will be offering daily "meet-ups" in Zoom.

Monday through Friday from 1-2 pm ET

From Monday, December 1 through Wednesday, December 31. 

Come hang out with Kristi (or her sub) (here's the Zoom link) - bring your lunch or a hot beverage, and we'll be here to listen. No advance notice or RSVP needed - one of us will be hanging around in Zoom to be available. We hope you'll join us if you need to vent, share, are looking for someone to listen - OR you want to share Holiday wins - either way, we're there for YOU! 

Courage to Caregivers Breathing Practice for December: Heart Focused 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 December's Breathing Practice - with this practice, we will find gratitude and calm through our hearts. This is a great breath to recognize the amazing love and power that comes from you. You can watch December's instructional video for Heart Focused 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!

©2025 Courage to Caregivers, Inc.