Self Care and Soul Care for the Caregiver

This is episode 68, and today I'm talking about our summer plans! I'll share what each one of us has planned and how we're making decisions on what our priorities need to be. With the world opening up, we have to be careful not to overextend ourselves in a rush to do all the things again! But we also want to enjoy summer as much as possible. Hopefully we can do both!

On June 25 & 26, I'll be speaking at By the Brook, a refreshing weekend just for moms, grandmothers, and female caregivers of individuals with special needs & chronic illness. This event includes encouragement, inspiration, dynamic worship, and powerful teaching—all while spending quality time with other moms who “get it.” Visit https://www.risingaboveministries.org/bythebrook for more info and to register!

I am a special needs sibling raising a special needs sibling. Encouraging other parents to love and support the typical kids in their families is a passion of mine! So today I'm talking through seven phrases every special needs sibling needs to hear. They apply to every age and stage of development. And I share an opportunity to join me in prayer for our typical kids for fourteen days through daily devotions. Listen to the end of the episode for details!

This is episode 66, and today we're talking about making decisions. We talk about that a lot here, partly because it's such a huge part of our lives. And as I've talked with my husband Lee and other friends about the decisions they make and how they make those decisions, I've noticed we all take those steps at different speeds. So today let's talk through what personality factors go into our decision making speeds, what can really be at the heart of slow or fast decision making, and four questions to ask when making a decision.

Link to transcript and show notes: http://www.sandrapeoples.com/thepodcast/

There are extra barriers for caregivers in friendship. But to have the kinds of friendships you want, you have to be the kind of friend you want. And that may mean you go first. We're going to talk about going first in three ways that will strengthen your friendships!

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Today I'm joined by my pastor/husband to discuss being hurt by the church. We talk through three situations we've experienced from one side or the other: having a conflict with another church member, being hurt by the staff or leaders in a church, and leaving a church in a healthy way. We have been hurt by church people, but we've also been healed by church people. And we're praying the same will happen for you and your family.

This is episode 63, and we're talking about why hobbies are fun. I know that as an abiding caregiver, lots of things in your life probably feel hard. That's why it may be even more important for you to have a hobby, something that feels fun.

In this episode, I'm not going to tell you what hobby you should do. We're going to focus on the reasons to have hobbies—the why behind them. Of course I'll talk about the hobbies my family and I have because they are fun to talk about, but don't think you have to do exactly what we do. I just want to get you thinking about what would be fun for you and why it's important to do something fun!

Join our Abiding Caregiver Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/selfcarespneedsmoms

Check out the show notes: http://www.sandrapeoples.com/thepodcast/

This is episode 62, and I'm actually super excited to talk about spring cleaning! I thought it would be fun to do a little spring-cleaning challenge that you can join me for this week or save it for a week when you're feeling springy! We're going to set up a few little things that will make it easier before we get started, then I'll share 10, 30, and 60-minute challenges you can do each day of the week to get your house ready for a new season!

Full Shownotes: http://www.sandrapeoples.com/spring-cleaning-challenge-ep-62/

This is episode 61, and I'm sharing my read, watch, and listen recommendations from the winter! Can you believe spring starts next week? I'm so excited for it. I feel so much hope for the new season and what's to come. I thought it would be fun to share my favorites from the last few months so you could put them on your list of things to read, watch, and listen to!

Shownotes: http://www.sandrapeoples.com/read-watch-listen-recommendations-ep-061/

My day job is serving my state convention as their special needs ministry consultant. Every day I'm talking to churches about how to start or strengthen their disability ministries so every family has access to the gospel and a church home. In that role and at my own church where I serve as the Inclusion Coordinator for Special Needs Families, I think there are big changes coming to churches that will affect special needs families. There are also three opportunities that I'm excited about! Let's talk through those today so we can better understand what's happening in our churches and how our calling as missionaries to other caregivers has never been more important!

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