Self Care and Soul Care for the Caregiver

Today we're talking about how we can care for ourselves as we manage the emotional needs of those around us. As the mom, wife, and caregiver in your family, you are likely the one who is in tune with the feelings around you and the one who knows how to manage those feelings—but sometimes it's just too much. So today we're going to talk about how to be emotionally healthy while being emotionally available for those we love.

This week's sponsor, the TwoGether marriage conference from Rising Above! My husband and I are speaking at this virtual conference on Feb. 26th, and we'd love for you to join us.

Even if you aren't a football fan, you probably saw that 43-year-old quarterback Tom Brady won the Super Bowl last night. If he can do that, we can get our bodies moving, right?

Today I'm sharing 6 ways to increase your step count each day! We can set reasonable movement goals for ourselves and meet them. It helps us stay strong and healthy for the people who need us!

This week's sponsor: the TWOgether Marriage Conference from Rising Above Ministries. Join us on Feb. 26th for this event that will encourage you to keep your marriage strong!

Whether you are a beginner special needs parent with a new diagnosis, or you’ve been a caregiver to someone with special needs for years, we would love for you to download the app—available in the App Store or Google Play—and join with our community as we walk this road TOGETHER.

This is episode 56, and today I'm sharing my updated meal planning routine! It's been almost a year since my first episode about meal planning, and I've made some changes since then! Why? Well, because what works for us keeps evolving. Maybe like me you want to think about what is working and what isn't working about your meal planning routine and make some adjustments!

Big thanks to this week's sponsor, the Rising Above Ministries App!

Links mentioned in this episode:

This is episode 55, and today we're talking about how abiding caregivers celebrate the Sabbath. Instead of feeling guilty that we can't spend the Sabbath like others who don't have the same responsibilities we have, we can focus on celebrating the rhythms of the Sabbath and not be bound by the rules. What's at the heart of our discussion today is the reminder that Jesus offers rest every day, not just once a week.

This is episode 054, and we're talking about where we get stuck in completing our goals. Sometimes I get stuck setting a goal. Sometimes I get stuck in the middle. And sometimes I get stuck right before the end of a project. Let's talk about the reasons we stuck and how we can push through to get things done.

This is episode 53, and the first one of 2021! Today we're talking about one of my favorite practices at the beginning of a new year. It's the idea of "beginning as you mean to go on." It's based on a quote from Spurgeon that says, “Begin as you mean to go on, and go on as you began, and let the Lord be all in all to you.” We're going to talk about how we want this year to go, what we can do this week to set ourselves up for beginning as we mean to go on, and of course, invite the Lord to be all in all to us in 2021.

As I reflect on 2020, I thought it would be fun to share the best books I read! If you've listened to many episodes, you know reading is my favorite hobby. And this year I read over 100 books! So narrowing down my favorites was tough but fun! In this episode I'll share my twelve favorite books, my favorite cookbook, and four I'm excited about that will release in 2021!

As we get closer to Christmas, I wanted to invite Katie M. Reid on to talk about her new book, A Very Bavarian Christmas. It’s the fictional account of Holly Noel, a 30-something single woman who moves back home after a professional disappointment. Her dad had suffered an aneurysm when she was seven, and their family’s life had revolved around his care after that event. When she moves back home, she has to work through her feelings of disappointment in so many areas of her life. Today we’re going to talk about the book with Katie (staying spoiler free!), how she related to Holly as a special-needs sibling who understands family life revolving around one member, and we’re going to talk about why this is the perfect time of year for feel-good books like this one and share a couple of our other favorite comfort books and movies.

This episode is sponsored by One Word for 2021: An Online Conference for Special-Needs Moms. Click here to learn more and get your discount code: http://www.sandrapeoples.com/one-word-for-2021/

I invited my husband Lee to talk through five reflection questions as we wrap up 2020 and look ahead to 2021! We cover:

At sandrapeoples.com/thepodcast, I have a PDF download with these five questions plus five more to journal or talk through with someone else. Let's end the year "remembering and telling" what God has done in our lives!