Compassion
Most caregivers need to recognize that caregiving is as much about themselves as the one being cared for. The caregiving journey is an inner journey, regardless of all the “outer” doings performed.
Whatever comes up for you – feelings, reactions, coping strategies, stress, anxiety, exhaustion, depression – whatever triggers you – is the most explicit travel guide to getting to know yourself. It’s all grist for the mill of Self-Inquiry, Self-Understanding, Self-Growth, and Self-Acceptance.
This inner journey will lead you to a more compassionate path.
And compassion may be the single most important qualification of a caregiver. When it is deliberate, it evokes the bigness in you, the wholeness in you, the love, the giving, and understanding in you.
What more could the person in your care desire?
If you’re a caregiver having difficulty in this role, feeling alone, frustrated and tired with no peers to share your experiences, on a rollercoaster ride of doctor calls and appointments, bouncing between good news and bad news, having more questions than answers, suffering as you’ve seen others suffer, having tried what everyone has said to try but to no avail, then you may be ready for a fundamentally different approach.
