Celebrate YOU Today! 🎉
As we come to the end of 2021, some of us may be in the mood to celebrate, and some may not. The holidays can be especially hard on caregivers. I get it … I’ve been there … feeling that there’s nothing to celebrate … seeing no positive way forward … wondering if things will ever change.
That’s why it’s so important to take some time to reflect on all that you’ve done this year and to celebrate your successes. Just look back on how much you’ve accomplished. Every single success, no matter how big or small, deserves to be celebrated. It’s an important part of our GROWTH and our continued progress in setting and achieving new goals.
Success looks different to everyone. For some, it might be material possessions, professional accolades, or financial security. For others, it might be things that aren’t so physically apparent, like accomplishing daily tasks while struggling emotionally, courageously trying new things in spite of anxiety, resisting temptation while battling addiction, or mastering a new skill.
Whatever your successes are, celebrating them begins by focusing on what you can control … your thoughts and ideas, your self-talk, your emotions, and your actions. Some simple ways to celebrate include:
Reflecting on things you enjoyed, lessons learned, barriers overcome, and confidence gained.
Expressing gratitude and appreciation to those who helped you along the way.
Enjoying the moment and truly being present before moving on to the next task.
Nurturing yourself with self-care and pleasurable activities alone or with loved ones.
Setting aside any feelings of embarrassment or drawing attention to yourself. You deserve this!
Simply having a support network is itself worth celebrating. Whether you have just one friend, family member, neighbor, or colleague you can count on, or if you have a large team by your side, a support network is essential to navigating the journey as a caregiver.
As part of YOUR team at Courage to Caregivers, we celebrate YOUR success. One reason this is our favorite time of the year is that we get to interview our participants on how much they have grown over the past weeks, months, and year. In addition to celebrating their successes, it's an opportunity to find out what we could be doing better to support caregivers on their journey of personal growth.
We’re proud to be part of their success stories, and I hope you take pride in all that you’ve done, too. Whether big or small, your accomplishments have required hard work and sacrifice. You set a goal, you persevered, and you grew. You couldn’t have done it without YOU.