“It's your outlook on life that counts. If you take yourself lightly and don't take yourself too seriously, pretty soon you can find the humor in our everyday lives. And sometimes it can be a lifesaver.”
- Betty White
How would you describe your outlook on life? Hopeful? Cautious? Fluid? Static? Taking the time to understand our outlooks can help us better understand how we react to the various people, situations, and challenges we face in our lives. Our outlooks can have powerful impacts on the decisions we make. Do we take advantage of an opportunity that comes our way or do we let it pass? How much do we believe in our own inner strengths and our abilities to find support?
Cambridge Dictionary defines OUTLOOK as "a person's way of understanding and thinking about something." When we have a hopeful outlook, we are able to feel motivated to learn and improve. When we are open-minded, we feel capable of turning possibilities into realities. While simply changing our outlooks will not erase all of the barriers we face in life, it can help guide us to certain actions and energize us to persevere and obtain the support we need.
3 TOOLS TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY OUTLOOK
- Have a hope-centered mindset. Hope reminds us of our inner strengths and ability to enact change. As the world shifts around us, our hope can also wax and wane, but remember that hope is not a finite resource. We can always find hope in ourselves and in our surrounding environments and communities.
- Cultivate inner peace. Our days can be filled with chaos and it is easy to feel as if we have no control over our own lives. However, by taking the time, even if it's only five minutes, to find our inner calm, we can feel more prepared to tackle the challenges we face.
- Embrace possibility thinking. By engaging with possibilities, we can allow ourselves to recognize what we want to happen in our lives. Once we recognize what we want, we can then understand the steps we have to take to make those wishes come true.
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If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.
– Maya Angelou
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THEME AFFIRMATIONS
Use affirmations to inspire you or reframe your thoughts
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Hope is a choice I make everyday
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I carry my inner calm within me always
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I take advantage of the opportunities that come my way and open myself to the possibilities around me
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The Winter Solstice reminds me that light can be found even during the darkest of days
APPS FOR GUIDED MEDITATION
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Motivate - This app provides five daily speeches, videos, music, etc. that will motivate and inspire you.
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Forest - This app helps you stay focused as you complete tasks throughout your day. Also, you can spend virtual coins you earn through the app to plant real trees through the tree-planting organization Trees for the Future.
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iWish - This app allows you to create a virtual vision board and make bucket lists of what you would like to accomplish as well as set reminders and track progress.
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Solstice - This app allows you to see how much daylight there is in a day so you can enjoy the sunshine you will have and look forward to more days of sun.
PODCASTS
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Our next Question, Persuade, and Refer/QPR Suicide Prevention training is Thursday, January 29 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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January's theme is Setting Intentions. In the new year, we will be mapping our journeys, managing our expectations, and opening our minds to the possibilities around us. 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 January's Micro-Challenges Calendar here.
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Courage to Caregivers Breathing Practice for January: Humming Bee 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 January's Breathing Practice - with this practice, we will reduce stress and anxiety by creating a vibration within our bodies. You can watch January's instructional video for Humming Bee 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!
©2025 Courage to Caregivers, Inc.
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