“Maintaining Your Jolly During the Season of Holly” – Part 1
Larry Reeves, Region A- Long Term Care Ombudsman, Southwestern Planning Commission
How many of you are caregivers? How many of you have been caregivers? How many of you will be a caregiver at some point in your future? How many of you presently have a caregiver? How many of you will need a caregiver in the future?
Ok. Granted. Not many of you are anxious to read the rest of this column after reading the questions I posed for you as I began. Let me quickly admit, the above questions were originally posed, in a form similar to mine, by former First Lady Rosalyn Carter several years ago. I decided to put them in front of you for this edition of “The Burningtown News” in light of the fact we are now in the “holiday season”. With all of the hustle and bustle that comes this time of the year it is really easy to become overwhelmed, even to the point where you lose your jolly. This is especially true if you happen to be providing care for someone, or are being cared by someone, or are facing the real possibilities that you are going to be needing a caregiver in the near future.
During the next few editions of this paper, I am going to offer some suggestions as to some ways you might be able to maintain your “jolly” as you celebrate the holidays. I write to you not as an expert but as one making the caregiving journey. For the past six years (or so) I have been a caregiver; first for both my father and mother, and now for just my father since my mother has passed. I have found that experience is the best teacher that has been part of my life. “Caregiver 101” is my current course.
For my first contribution I want to focus on some “unhealthy” things/behaviors that, if permitted to do so, will take our jolly from us. Among the things that come to mind are:
- Not getting enough restful, uninterrupted sleep– How much are you getting? When you awaken, do you feel rested? Are you able to sneak time for a nap into your schedule?
- Eating too many sweets– Too many sweets can really impact your energy levels, your attention span, and your overall health. You need to pay attention to your weight and your glucose numbers. You may want to try saying “No” and pushing back from the table.
- Failing to get enough healthy exercise– It is so easy to allow the colder weather and the busyness of the season to keep you indoors and on the couch. Often it requires that you plan for a time for some exercise- a good invigorating walk, stretching periods, a trip to a fitness center, so forth.
- Consuming too much alcohol– It is easy to justify to yourself a glass (or more) during the festivities. However, one must exercise appropriate restraint and good judgment,
- Focusing on too many negatives– It is so easy to focus on all that is wrong, is lost, is limited, is missing, is broken, is in need of repair, is worrisome, is… For many the holiday season is depressing and filled with troublesome anxieties. It is hard, at times, to find things that are positive and “right”. Therefore, it is important for us to work on having a positive attitude during the holidays and, of course, beyond.
Naturally, I could “waller in the mud” that has the potential to smash all of the jolly out this season on and on but I choose not to. Rather, I intend to offer some practical suggestions and hints for maintaining/restoring/rediscovering/rebuilding the jolly we can enjoy during “the season of holly” during the next few contributions to “The Burningtown News”.