Tenacity — Blog — Courage to Caregivers

SEPTEMBER 2023 Newsletter: Tools to Cultivate Tenacity

Tenacity is your ability to stick with it when things get hard. Caregivers are no strangers to HARD things. The challenges come at us daily. Sometimes they knock us down - and sometimes we're ready.

Having tenacity doesn't mean that we'll never FALL. AND, it's not about how long we're DOWN when we do. Tenacity is all about the getting UP. Getting up requires STRENGTH of all kinds - physical, mental and emotional. When we fall down - and we all know we will fall again - we need to start by pausing. Notice. Take the time and space you need to rest and recover. You'll need your strength to both get up and be ready for the next time. It can be cold and lonely when we fall - yet, Courage to Caregivers is here to support you as you STRENGTHEN your tenacity muscles.

When our kids were little (they're not so little any more at 28-30-32), I took part in a book group at school where we read "The Blessing of a Skinned Knee: Using Timeless Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children" by Wendy Mogel. As we dug into TENACITY this month (a concept I also learned when my kids were in elementary school) - the teaching from "Blessing of a Skinned Knee" on coping with frustration was likely the most relevant. "Treating children's daily distresses as an expected and unalarming part of life is an effective way to discourage them from turning small difficulties into big dramas. We can help children become calmer and more resilient by staying calm ourselves." ~ Wendy Mogel, "The Blessing of a Skinned Knee."

It takes a great deal of tenacity to navigate life's challenges AND as caregivers, supporting our loved ones in cultivating their tenacity, too. 💙

Check out entire September newsletter focused on Tenacity here.

TenacityKristi HornerSeptember 28, 2023Realistic Optimism, Tenacity, Coping mechanisms, Persistence

Passion, Persistence, and Grit

“Grit is a combination of passion and perseverance for a long-term goal.”

~ Angela Duckworth, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

Of all the characteristics associated with caregiving, persistence might be the most common. The tasks and responsibilities of caregiving often require the utmost persistence. For caregivers, there may be times when our loved ones don’t seem to be making progress, and it’s tempting to give up. It’s our persistence – our motivation to keep going forward – that leads to hope.

But persistence doesn’t come easily. It takes practice … slow and steady … one micro-step and one micro-goal at a time. And sometimes, we need a little push. Caregiving feels hard enough most days, and stepping outside our comfort zone can feel scary.

AttitudeKristi HornerSeptember 7, 2023Persistence, Tenacity

Persistence + Realistic Optimism + Coping Mechanisms = Attitude of Tenacity - September 2021 Newsletter

September Theme: Attitude

Persistence + Realistic Optimism + Coping Mechanisms = Attitude of Tenacity

With September's theme of "attitude" we started our exploration of the domain of resilience of TENACITY. Tenacity is your ability to stick with it when things get hard. Caregivers are no strangers to HARD things. The challenges come at us daily. Sometimes they knock us down - and sometimes we're ready.

Having tenacity doesn't mean that we'll never FALL. AND, it's not about how long we're DOWN when we do. Tenacity is all about the getting UP. Getting up requires STRENGTH of all kinds - physical, mental and emotional. When we fall down - and we all know we will fall again - start by pausing. Notice. Take the time and space you need to rest and recover. You'll need your strength to both get up and be ready for the next time. It can be cold and lonely when we fall - yet, we're here to support you as you STRENGTHEN your tenacity muscles 💙

Check out the September Newsletter!

AttitudeKristi HornerSeptember 30, 2021Coping mechanisms, Realistic Optimism, Persistence, Tenacity

Practice Persistence, and Progress Will Follow

Caregivers often face tasks and responsibilities that feel never-ending. We may even be so overwhelmed with it all that we are tempted to give up, but we never do. What is it that keeps us going in spite of all obstacles, that keeps hope alive in us and relentlessly pushes us forward? It’s persistence, a characteristic that’s so common in caregivers, and it’s our topic for this week as we turn to September’s theme of attitude.

AttitudeKristi HornerSeptember 9, 2021Persistence, Attitude, Tenacity