Mindful Mornings for Caregivers: How to Build an Intentional Routine

In this episode of The Caregiver Cup Podcast, we're diving deep into the power of starting your day with an intentional morning routine. As caregivers, we often wake up to a day full of responsibilities and challenges, which can leave us feeling overwhelmed before the day even begins. But what if you could transform your mornings—and your entire day—by incorporating a few mindful practices?

We’ll explore how a structured morning routine can provide you with a sense of control, calm, and readiness to face whatever comes your way. From simple tips like drinking a glass of water to setting daily intentions, this episode is packed with actionable advice to help you create a routine that works for you.

Key Takeaways:

• Why Intentionality Matters: Learn how starting your day with intention can set a positive tone for the entire day, helping you manage stress and approach caregiving with a clear mind.
• Morning Routine Ideas: Discover practical ways to build a morning routine that fits your life, even if you only have 5 minutes.
• Mindfulness Practices: Incorporate simple mindfulness exercises like gratitude journaling, visualization, and affirmations to boost your mood and energy levels.
• Energy Management: Find out how to identify your peak energy times and use them to tackle your most demanding tasks.

Resources Mentioned:

• Apps:  Calm, Insight Timer
• Website: Dr. Kristin Neff on Self-Compassion

Don’t Miss Out: If you're not already on my email list, make sure to sign up at cathylvan.com for weekly newsletters filled with tips and inspiration tailored for caregivers like you.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Enhancing Caregivers' Morning Routine With Intentionality
• 8:28 Creating a Positive Morning Routine
• 19:52 Visualizing, Affirming, and Managing Energy
• 33:54 Developing a Mindful Morning Routine
• 42:07 Setting Morning Intentions for Positivity

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Well, hello, my friend, and welcome to another episode of the Caregiver Cup podcast. I am so glad that you're here and before we jump into the episode, I wanted to share a little bit about what's going on and a few text messages. So it's been a quiet days, or quiet days in the Kathy household. It's been pretty routine. As we speak and as I'm recording on this Monday before you listen, on Tuesday, dennis has actually gone to the doctor to go ahead and get his treatment today and I allowed him to just go ahead and do that. He took it. We have a little scooter. He took his little scooter on this beautiful sunny day and did that. We have a little scooter. He took his little scooter on this beautiful sunny day and did that, and then he was going to call me and tell me if there was anything up with the doctor. So I'm just crossing my fingers and saying some prayers that he has a good checkup because he gets his scan results today as well. So also, I had my middle son, or not my middle son, oh my gosh. My youngest son turned 30 last week. Oh my gosh, deja vu. It felt like yesterday that we brought him into the world. And then my oldest granddaughter turned 17. Oh my gosh, it's been kind of a memorable week, but just a quiet week as well for us. We didn't do any extra planning. My youngest son went away for the weekend with his girlfriend and his son, and my granddaughter just wanted grandma to just give her some money so that she could go shopping with her girlfriends her girlfriends at the mall and so I'm like I get it. I get it. When you're 17 years old, you don't want your grandma and having a birthday party. However, I did see her the weekend before, so that was good to see. I also got some great text messages this week that I wanted to share, because I think there's always some power in you sharing your experiences, as well as advice and insights too, and you only hear from me sometimes, and I think it's good to hear from others. So thank you to anybody sending those in. Keep them coming. Keep the questions and suggestions coming as well, because that helps me build a stronger episode each and every week. The one that I got was from August 13th and it says Hi, kathy, it gets into. I always appreciate the suggestions you offer and the personal experiences you share. You can hear my dog barking. I think Amazon's coming to the door.

Speaker 1: 2:44

Something I've embraced is reminding myself that I'm more than a caregiver. That is just one of the roles I have in this life. I am a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a daughter, sister, aunt, niece, christian reader, gardener, friend, writer, neighbor, hr pro, and the list goes on and on. Can you relate to this? The text message goes on to say, mentally and in reality, this keeps the many, many caregiver responsibilities from consuming all of me as I move in and out of all of those persons. So I thought this was a good insight and I know I've done past podcast episodes on taking some time to list out your roles and responsibilities. I go through this in the Empowerful Caregiver School as well. We spend an entire lesson on this, and so if you wanted to ever check out the Empowerful Caregiver School, go to kathylvancom forward slash Empowerful. You will see what we do in the six modules of the course that we go through. So thank you so much for sending that in.

Speaker 1: 3:59

The second text that I got really helps reinforce what we talked about last week on boundaries. She says I'm listening to the Boundaries podcast and it couldn't have come at a better time. Thank you. I'm a caregiver for a person with a disability and it feels like the family is retiring from being the parents so they can vacation, and then I go home to my family with mental health issues and dementia. I am learning and trying to work on boundaries, not only for work, but also at home as well. I just thought this was really, really, really insightful For me. It was thinking about you gave the right words. For me, it was thinking about you gave the right words. And sometimes the family that is helping you retires I think that's a perfect word of saying it because whether they're burnt out or they know that they need a break or they have other competing priorities, then you are left with it and I think we all can relate to coming back home with those mental issues but then also dealing with other family members or other loved ones that are dealing with other things as well. So it's just, oh my gosh. I thought this was good and I love the fact that you're leaning into boundaries. I'd love to hear what those boundaries are and remember to start small. So thank you for your messages and don't forget there's a link at the bottom and you can continue to send in your messages, questions, feedback stories, insights from anything and everything.

Speaker 1: 5:45

And since we're talking about setting boundaries, this leads us right into our topic today, because the topic we're going to talk about is incorporating. The best way, and maybe even the easiest way, to incorporate a boundary is to look at your morning routine, and we've talked about morning routines and morning mindset on this podcast many times. This topic is so important it's worth talking about again. But today, instead of really focusing on what can you do, I'm going to talk about it a little bit at the beginning. I want to talk about how you can enhance that, and I don't know what other way to say it until we get through it. I'll probably come up with a title at the end, but we've talked about it like with walking in the morning and moving your body and eating healthy, but this one's going to be a little bit different. So starting the day with intention helps set the tone for the entire day, and we're going to talk about intentionality.

Speaker 1: 6:59

For caregivers, a structured morning routine can provide a sense of control, a sense of calm and readiness to face daily challenges, and small changes in the morning routine can significantly impact your overall well-being, making the caregiving journey more manageable. And these small intentional changes, I think are going to make tons of impact in the way you look at your morning, because, whether you're a morning person or not, you can do simple things that are going to help you throughout the day and remind you of. I know what you're thinking, though. You're thinking I don't have time for a morning. I get up, I jump into caregiving mode or I jump into rush mode to get ready for the day, or it's just another thing on your to-do list. I'm going to change that, because when you think about it as an intentional gift for you and it's going to help you prevent you from maybe having those negative thoughts or bouts of anger or just wanting to give up, and you start feeling the rewards of this intentionality, you will see and feel how important it is, and so hang tight onto that and hang on, and about midway through we're going to jump into what I mean by intentionality.

Speaker 1: 8:28

I wanted to take a step back first as well. If you read my email from August 9, I talked about your first five minutes in the morning, five minutes in the morning and if you're not on my email list, you really want to be on there, because what I do is usually send out a midday email about the podcast, so you won't forget to take some time to do it, but my Friday or Saturday depends on how fast I get it out. My end of the week email is really about tips and resources and feedback and thoughts, and so on August 9, I had one about the first five minutes of the morning. It doesn't have to take long and just a quick recap on that. First of all, I forgot to tell you if you're not on my email list, go to my website, kathylvancom, and just scroll down to the bottom and you're going to see join my newsletter and that will ensure that you get my weekly emails that are going to give you some further tips. It's kind of like an extension of the podcast tips. It's kind of like an extension of the podcast.

Speaker 1: 9:47

And so now back to the first five things that I shared on there. I talked about just five minutes of what things I do in the morning, or what things I suggest you could do in the morning, and now I'm going to enhance it in this podcast. So, first of all, the first five minutes is drink a full glass of water, because after a full night's rest, your body is dehydrated and it kickstarts your metabolism, that water, and it gives you the must needed energy boost that you need. And the second one is do you take supplements or do you have some things, that medication, that you need to take, and sometimes we forget to go ahead and take care of ourselves. Maybe you don't eat well, so you need, you know, your daily supplements to go ahead and get yourself going. Maybe it's the heart of like the flu and cold season, so you take a vitamin C to boost your inner, your immune system, especially if you're going to be in the doctor's office. Or maybe it's the seasonal depression that you get when it becomes the blah days of winter or there hasn't been sun in days. You take a vitamin D to boost your seasonal blues. Or you have to take probiotics to go ahead and make sure your gut is healthy. Whatever it is, you can actually do these together, because if you're drinking a full glass of water and you have to take your supplements, what I do is I take one supplement at a time, so then I drink my full glass of water.

Speaker 1: 11:19

Also, another thing that I talked about in that email was look in the mirror yes, you heard me right. Talk to yourself. While washing your face and brushing your teeth, you can fill your mind with affirmations and positive thoughts or prayers. This helps you shift your focus and gets rid of those negative self-talks. You can do that and I call it habit stacking negative self-talks. You can do that and I call it habit stacking. You're brushing your teeth and washing your face. You can look in the mirror, or maybe you have post-it notes there where you're putting your affirmations for the week or your positive thoughts for the week there.

Speaker 1: 11:57

Number four is moving your body, and it can be during making your bedtime. But this isn't about checking off another chore. It's about finding joy in the movement. Maybe it's a quick stretch or a dance to your favorite song, or a moment of stillness where you're meditating, or whatever it would be. Maybe it's I'm the one singing off key in the car on the way to my loved one's home if they're not in your home and you're going ahead and singing and moving your vocal cords. And then the last one I gave for a suggestion is journal five things that you're grateful for. We're going to talk about that again, reflecting on the last 24 hours and what brought you joy or positivity, what you noticed. Maybe it's the yellow canary bird that I saw this morning flying past my window, or the beautiful sunrise, or somebody let you in traffic, that they didn't have to do it, and you waved at them and smiled. So, again, these are some of the things that I put in my email list, and there's obviously a lot more context to it, but I did a fast version of it. So let's go into the episode today.

Speaker 1: 13:18

When it comes to starting each day, with intention and the right mindset, you can shape your thoughts, help your behaviors and reactions throughout the day. Take a moment each morning to ask yourself what is the intention for today? What is my intention for today? This could be something like remaining calm, being patient, finding joy in small moments, whatever it is. Ask yourself that question what is your intention today? Because you know what you have going on today. My tip is think about writing this down in a journal or on a sticky note where you can see it throughout the day as a reminder. What is your intention today? If, for me, if I knew I had to go ahead and take care of my mom and had to take her to appointments for the day it's going to be, I'm going to go ahead and remain calm. I'm going to ask good questions at the doctor's office. What is my intentions going to be for the day?

Speaker 1: 14:26

Many caregivers start their day feeling overwhelmed by the demands that lie ahead. You swing your feet onto the floor, wake up in bed and know it's go mode, and that is hard because you don't even give your body a chance to adapt to the morning, to wake up, and right away you're thinking I have this to do, I have this to do, I have this to do, I have this to do. By focusing on what you can control and take proactive steps to manage, your day is going to help. This might include reviewing your day schedule, prioritizing tasks and mentally preparing for the challenges. You might have to say what are my top three priorities today, instead of looking at the 10 things that you have on your list, or how am I going to handle the challenges ahead? Yesterday was really rough and how am I going to handle today, because I know it's going to be just as rough? And where am I going to go ahead and find time to release some of that stress?

Speaker 1: 15:31

A tip for me is think about the idea of bookends. You have books on a shelf and you have bookends holding the books up, right. You want to start your day with a positive morning routine that's going to keep you somewhat for lack of a term sane and joyful or at peace for the morning. Right, and ending your day with calm. That bookend at the other end is a calm evening routine to reflect and unwind, because the purpose is you want to get a good night's sleep, you want to provide yourself with some compassion and a calming end to your day.

Speaker 1: 17:15

So I want to talk about, next, incorporating the practice of gratitude in the morning routine. Again, this is another topic I talk about over and over and over again, because I started journaling gratitude at the very beginning of my caregiver routine. Okay, I couldn't figure out anything else, but I could buy myself a journal, I could bring a pen along and any time throughout the day I said I'm going to journal gratitude. Well then, eventually, as it clicked into my mind, I made it part of my morning routine, wherever I wanted to incorporate it. You will hear me say that my journal is usually next to my coffee pot in the morning. So when I'm drinking my coffee, I'm journaling the five things that I'm grateful for, starting the day by acknowledging what you are grateful for can create a positive mindset and reduce stress. It trains your brain. It works a mechanism of the positive side of your brain.

Speaker 1: 18:23

Even in difficult times, finding one or two things to be grateful for can set a positive tone for the day. It could be somebody in the doctor's office that helped you. It could be the support that you're getting from a friend's text. Whatever it would be, you want to look for those grateful. My tip for you is to jot those things down in a journal, because when you jot them down in a journal you can say them out loud to yourself, but usually you forget. When you jot them down, it actually helps you remember it and helps you reinforce it in your brain. That can help shift focus away from the challenges as well and onto the positives, and you're going to then start training your brain and you're going to notice that you're going to recognize positivity throughout the day. Or you're going to notice these little things that are going to make you smile. You know you think about it when you look at somebody's back window and they have all of these stickers of the kids and you're thinking about oh my gosh, I'm counting one, two, three, four, five. Then I'm counting the dog and the cat and I'm like, oh my gosh, they have it just as bad as I do, or maybe even worse. You know, and you look at that and you smile. So you're focusing on other things that are out there. So you want to do that.

Speaker 1: 19:52

Now I want to also talk about another thing that you can do either in the evening or, better yet, in the morning, and that's a visualization technique. The best way I can talk about this is using the example of the Olympics. I know the Olympics are we've now been a week or two out of the Olympics but if you paid attention to any of the athletes, they had to wait before their event and the cameras were always on them. But there were a lot of athletes that would sit back, close their eyes and visualize. The one that comes to mind is Stephen from the men's gymnastic team. He was the kid with the big, big glasses and he has this eye disorder that he has to wear glasses and he's becoming this hero to a lot of kids that wear glasses. But he did the pommel horse gymnastics routine and when he was sitting on the sidelines before his routine, he had his eyes closed, he was leaning back and he looked like he was just slouching back and he didn't have a care in the world, but he was closing his eyes. And when they interviewed him, he said he was visualizing his routine. And he was visualizing it a hundred times in his brain because one of the things is he can't see.

Speaker 1: 21:25

Well, and when you're going that fast, you have to train your brain and train the mechanisms in your brain, because you can't go. I have to do this first, this first, this first, this first, this first. You can't go. I have to do this first, this first, this first, this first, this first. What he was doing is it was almost like memorizing a speech, and you don't have to think about it, it's already ingrained in your brain and that's what he was doing. Well, for you, this is a great practice and a great tool to mentally prepare you for the day. To mentally prepare you for the day and I have done this so many times, especially in the challenges and struggles and by visualizing how you want your day to unfold. Caregivers can, like you and I can, create a mental roadmap that aligns with our intentions and goals. This technique can reduce anxiety and help them approach, or help you approach challenges with confidence by going ahead and visualizing your day.

Speaker 1: 22:30

You have a tough day ahead, or you know when my dad is having, you know having these symptoms or these outbursts. How am I going to respond? And you can visualize what you're going to do. So the best way to do this is to probably sit down and close your eyes, like Stephen did, take a few deep breaths and imagine yourself moving through the day, but with calmness, with strength, with resilience. If you're in a doctor's appointment, maybe you're visualizing yourself listening actively, asking good questions. How am I sitting asking good questions? How am I sitting? What potentially could happen and how do I respond? All of those things. It helps you prepare. It's no different than that athlete preparing. You're preparing for the day.

Speaker 1: 23:33

So if you've had bad days, you're going to probably have more bad days, especially if your loved one's diagnosis is dementia or cancer and I'm not trying to leave anybody's out. So there's going to be bad days. Or you're going to have to work and you're going to have to do this and you're going to have to do this, and so you're visualizing how you're going to respond. Maybe you're visualizing yourself drinking a bottle of water, because you know that you need to. Maybe you're visualizing yourself drinking a bottle of water because you know that you need to sustain. You're visualizing yourself making a salad. You're visualizing yourself sitting down with your loved one and having a conversation with them to say I love you, but when you say that to me, it hurts my feelings, you know. Maybe you're visualizing that. Or maybe you're visualizing yourself as a duck A duck, not a duck a duck. And when your loved one who has no idea, because they have dementia or Alzheimer's and they're saying sassy things to you, you know that's not them. So you're visualizing those words going off your back like the water does on a duck. Whatever it would be, try those things, okay.

Speaker 1: 24:47

Another one is the affirmations and positive talk. We talked about this because I wrote this in my newsletter. But affirmations and positive self-talk cultivate a resilient mindset. You're training those mechanisms in your brain. You, as a caregiver, often face self-doubt and negative thoughts. Affirmations like I am capable, I am strong, I deserve care and compassion, I deserve to recharge can help you reframe your mindset.

Speaker 1: 25:22

I remember doing this in the bathroom stall while Dennis was getting his stem cells. He had his stem cells. I don't remember what the word is, but he had them pulled out and he was having them put back in that's a layman's term and I was fearful of what could potentially happen. I was so afraid that he was going to have a reaction, that his body was going to reject them. I was so afraid and I had to say so afraid, and I had to say Kathy, you are strong. Kathy, you trust the doctors and the team. Kathy Dennis is strong. Kathy, you can handle anything that's going to come before you. I had to say that, and so, by creating a list of affirmations that resonate with you and repeating them each morning to reinforce a positive outlook, maybe you have to write them down first, and they're going to shift and grow as you change.

Speaker 1: 26:27

Now let's also talk about energy, because you're like a cell phone you may have been fully charged in the morning, but as the day goes on, you're going to lose your power. The battery is going to go lower and lower. So you have to think about managing your energy and sustaining your energy throughout the day, and so I want you to identify your peak energy times, when you're at your best during the day. Right now, I am best during the day between 10 am and 2. I'm just really at my best Now.

Speaker 1: 27:07

If you would have asked me this, maybe five years ago, I was a night owl. I love the night, but then, when I was running marathons and half marathons, my morning was my peak time. So you want to think about that and then scheduling or thinking about when are you going to do the most demanding things that are going to fit your energy levels at that time. So for me, I record my podcast between 10 and 2, because I love this time of the day. First of all, I have caffeine in me from the morning, so 10 o'clock I'm just energized and ready to go. But then, if it's any time after 2, I get that slump in the end of the day. I just feel like I'm draining down. So I do quieter activities. I go for my walk at that time, whatever it would be. You want to start the day with intentions and saying where do I have the most energy and how can I conserve my energy and not do too much? So I'm burnt out by the end of the day and then it affects my next day.

Speaker 1: 28:18

I'll give you just a really simple example, but it was one that was hard for me when I was caregiving for my mom and my dad right, and Dennis was in his midst of his cancer. My housework at my house was the thing that I neglected and I didn't have time for, and so usually what I did is Saturday mornings were my only really quiet time that I had. Guess what I did? I cleaned my house and I went like a mad woman and would go ahead and change the sheets and do all of the bathrooms, scrub my floors, do all the dusting and the vacuuming and all the deep cleaning stuff. Well, guess what happens on Saturday afternoon? Yeah, you're exhausted and you feel like that. My only morning off all week that I have a full morning, like 8am to noon, 8 am to noon.

Speaker 1: 29:25

I use that time to clean the house versus. I should have used it for my own personal self-care and did things like going for a breakfast with my girlfriend or taking a walk, or spending some time reading or gardening or doing something that I love. What I did is I shifted my mindset. I said, okay, what can I do differently? Can I hire somebody? At that time? It wasn't feasible for me because of finances and all of that. Instead, what I opted for was a little bit. I did a little bit each and every day. And don't get me wrong, I cleaning. I love cleaning Of all of the household chores and all the management. I find cleaning really therapeutic.

Speaker 1: 30:14

So I found things like listening to my podcast episodes or listening to an audio book or some fun music, and it was a way for me to exercise, but it also was exhausting but don't ask me to cook, because that's the one that I don't like and so instead, my solution was I was going to do just a little bit every day, and if I could go ahead and do the dusting and that would be the only thing Could I dust right after supper or after dinner, and it would only take me 15 to 20 minutes to dust the entire house and I could get that done in one time. Could I clean the toilets one day, could I? And so what I've done now is I've incorporated this into my life. I do a little bit every single day, so there is never a day now I wake up and saying, oh my God, I have the whole entire house to do Now. Don't get me wrong, if there becomes a bad season, I might not be able to find the 30 minutes every day to clean my house. Now I don't do it between 10 and 2 at my peak time, because my peak time I want to do things that I know I need to do. Not saying that it doesn't, but those are the things that I want I have to do Between 10 and 2 would be my business. It would have been caring for my mom, taking her to an appointment, whatever it would be. I want you to think about that.

Speaker 1: 31:54

Another thing that I want you to think about is mindful presence. This is a hard one for me, where you can fully engage in the present moment than worrying about what's going to happen in the future. What's dwelling in the past? What's on your to-do list? Future what's dwelling in the past, what's on your to-do list? You want to start the day with mindful activities, like deep breathing or mindful eating that can ground you and reduce your anxiety. Take the time in saying it's almost like you want to focus in and you put yourself in a bubble. I'm not going to do anything but being mindful in this present moment, and that's what you need to think about when it comes to your five minutes in the morning, your cup of coffee in the morning, your meditation, whatever you decide. You want to incorporate.

Speaker 1: 32:44

A simple mindfulness exercise can be something like sipping your cup of tea in the morning and focusing entirely on that cup of coffee or that cup of tea, the warmth of it, the taste of it, the aroma of it, and you just enjoy it. Have you ever went and sat out on a lawn chair outside in the morning and enjoyed the sunrise with your cup of coffee or your beverage at hand for five minutes and nothing else, and let you just enjoy the moment? That's talking about stress relief and setting yourself up for a better day. Now the rest of the day could go to hey, what do they say? I don't know. I could say S-H-I-T, but yeah, it could be. But you had five minutes of calmness and mindfulness present. You're training your brain and eventually you're going to have that more and more. Maybe now you have it for your lunch, or maybe now you have it when you read your book before you go to bed. Okay, I'm almost done here. Bear with me. There's just a few more things.

Speaker 1: 33:55

Self-compassion is another one. Remind yourself to approach the day with self-compassion. Maybe you do it in your visualization activity. If things don't go as planned, it's important to be kind to yourself. Well, think about the athletes that went ahead in the Olympics and trained for this for years and years, and then you get a Simone Biles that falls off the balance beat and then the next girl falls off, and then the next girl falls off. Be kind to yourself and understand that you're doing the best you can in challenging situation and allow yourself for the resilience and reduce the pressure of being perfect. You just get back up and try it again.

Speaker 1: 34:42

Now there is a great website and a great author that I want to recommend to you. It's Dr Kristen with a K, Neff N-E-F-F, and she has this great outlook on self-compassion and you can go to her website If you just Google Dr Kristen Neff N-E-F-F. She has resources on how to practice self-compassion daily. She has little quotes, she has little reminders that I think will help you when it comes to self-compassion and granting yourself grace, because not everything's going to go that way. So when you do your visualization visualizing yourself getting angry you might even throw something. Visualize that, but then visualizing yourself how are you going to get yourself out of it? How are you going to not let it wreck the rest of your day? What could be a challenge or an obstacle that you're going to have to go ahead and get work through.

Speaker 1: 35:46

According to the American Psychological Association, establishing a routine like this can significantly help in managing your stress. For caregivers who are often under chronic stress, like you and I, a morning routine can be a vital tool in maintaining mental and emotional health. Can you notice that I didn't say go for a walk, go to the gym? Now, these can be, but I want you to think about the mindfulness morning routine. What are you going to do in this caregiving season? That's going to set you up for success. Starting the day with intention helps set the tone for the entire day. So for you, the caregiver, a structured morning routine can provide a sense of control and calm and readiness to face daily challenges.

Speaker 1: 36:41

So what can you incorporate into your morning routine? That is, mindfulness. You probably have some sort of morning routine, but maybe your mindfulness routine might be I'm going to go for a walk, but I'm also going to do some visualization while I'm walking. Don't close your eyes, though, but you can go for a walk and you can go ahead and talk yourself and walk yourself through what are going to be the challenges for the day. How am I going to handle those. What can I do to bring more joy and what can I do to help keep my stress lowered? Because the benefits of an intentional morning routine reduces stress. It can boost your energy. It can increase your productivity and not have you shutting down or thinking about the challenges and how they stay with you throughout the day. It can definitely promote your health. Something about incorporating a healthy breakfast and mindfulness practice, like meditation, can boost your physical and mental health. Maybe you walk and do the mindfulness, whatever it would be.

Speaker 1: 37:57

So my tips for creating this intentional morning routine is start with small changes is start with small changes. Introduce one or two new activities to your morning routine, such as drinking a glass of water upon waking and taking five minutes to stretch can be an incorporation. Maybe taking your walk and including affirmations while you're walking, or washing your face and thinking through the visualization that you're going to do. I want you to prioritize your self-care. Include activities that focus in on your self-care, like deep breathing exercises or journaling gratitude or affirmations, or listening to your favorite podcast or music when you can, or maybe it's the Calm app or different apps that are going to go ahead and help you.

Speaker 1: 38:57

Plan. The night before is a great tip as well, because our body and our mind are going to struggle to fall asleep when you know that the next morning is going to be chaotic. Reduce morning chaotic by preparing, like laying out your clothes. That's one less thing that you have to think about Planning your breakfast or writing down your top three priorities for the day, or asking for help when you know that you have 10 things going on and you can't get them all done, seeing if somebody else can go ahead and pick up the groceries or do the errands for you. Be flexible too, because we know that things are not going to always go as planned and you're going to have to adjust on the fly and be flexible and adapt as needed. That's your visualization, and adapt as needed that's your visualization. That's your way to go ahead and say yep, if this happens today, I'm going to have to do this, you're going to plan for that in advance, and so I love to end with two things.

Speaker 1: 39:59

First of all, the Family Caregiver Alliance reports that caregivers who integrate intentional mindfulness self-care practices in their daily routines are less likely to experience that burnout and are better equipped to handle the emotional and physical demands of our caregiving. It's a tough, caregiving world out there for us, and we know that. So what can we do to get us back on the path of least stress, the path of feeling better about our emotions. What can we do? And by trying to be intentional and understanding ourselves and granting ourself grace is something. Maybe you have a granting yourself grace affirmation, or maybe you have a granting yourself grace song that you listen to and that helps you release it. I'm just brainstorming ideas. So, to conclude today oh my gosh, I could go on and on and on and on.

Speaker 1: 41:04

This is such an important topic, but as we wrap up today's episode, I want to challenge you to take a moment today and reflect on how you can start your daily day with intention. What are one or two intentions you can set for tomorrow morning to make your day better? What can you do to make your day better tomorrow? Maybe it's finding a moment of calm before the day begins, or setting goals to stay patient throughout the day, and you have some techniques planned. I'd love to hear from you. This is where I want you to hit that link in the show notes that says send Kathy a text and share your intention. You don't have to give me your name. If you don't want to and I've learned through a few of your responses and a few of your replies and I thank you for that If you don't want your name shared, don't put your name in there or tell me don't include my name and I'm going to share these.

Speaker 1: 42:08

Next week, repeat it again. What are one or two intentions you can set tomorrow morning to make your day better? What are your techniques? Let's inspire each other to start our days with intention, with purpose and with positivity, and with techniques and tools that can lift us back up when we have our challenges. Thank you again for listening to the Caregiver Cup podcast. This community of ambitious, intentional women just lights me up. We're going through this hard, demanding time, but when we do it together, we can figure things out, and I am so proud of you for figuring it out, for sticking with it, for recognizing that you have these challenges. But you're going to figure it out. Until we meet next week. Don't forget that cup of yours needs to be filled. Bye for now.