This episode helps us stay connected to our compassion, especially our self-compassion. For if we find we are no longer behaving or acting in accordance with our values we suffer stress and regret as compassion has been depleted... or has oozed out.

We talk about "compassion fatigue" and "plugging your bucket". If these terms aren't familiar to you - we will be explaining them in the episode.

There is good news: we talk about how to reconnect to our compassion so we can rebuild our compassion reserves and our actions can once again come from our heart.

Be sure to check out this episode's sponsor is Joe & Bella Inc.

Self-Care.

Self-care can look different during caregiving and may be difficult to prioritize. In this episode we will look at reimagining self-care activities so we can fit 5, 10 or 15 minute blocks of self-care into our day. We look at what renews our energy and what activities we find calming and relaxing - and how to keep connected to our passions and creativity through self-care.

Be sure to check out this episode's sponsor Healthy Happy Caregiver. Among their many resources and services, they offer a great tool for managing your own self-care.

If you struggle to prioritize your own self-care this episode is a must-listen-to episode and remember, it's not selfish to care for yourself!

What is mindfulness and how does it relate to self-caregiving? Mindfulness is the glue that connects all the self-caregiving strategies together. It helps keep us grounded, focusing on the present so that we don't ruminate or worry about the future or past which can lead to stress and burnout.

How do we cultivate mindfulness? You will hear about many forms of meditation. We talk about prayer, curiosity, stillness and breathing exercises as ways to cultivate this helpful strategy. It may take effort, but it is certainly worth exploring the benefits with Theresa and Alison in this episode.

This episode is sponsored by Sustainable Caregiving with music credits as follows: Weekend by LesFM https://lesfm.net/acoustic-background-music/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Theresa outlines why setting boundaries is such an important Self-Caregiving strategy. Boundaries help us protect our physical and emotional wellbeing and provide a way to respect and protect ourselves and others.

Join us as we explore why setting boundaries can be difficult and as we answer questions such as: How do we set boundaries? Who should be included and considered when we set boundaries? How do we start the process and the conversation?

This episode's sponsor is CircleOf the creator of the Family Caregiver App CircleOf.

Theresa and Alison, both certified caregiving consultants and business owners, introduce themselves and provide an overview of each of the 12 Self-Caregiving Strategies that will be discussed in the limited series podcast. There are actually 13 strategies as we've added a bonus strategy that ties all the strategies together. Whether you're entrenched in caregiving or just dipping your toes into the waters of the caregiver river, you'll want to tune in to see which of the strategies could benefit you most at the place you are now in your caregiving journey.

Combining caregiving and self-care, this limited podcast series offers strategies for the listener to apply to both caregiving and everyday life. Theresa Wilbanks will present one of her 12 Sustainable Caregiver Strategies each episode and she and Alison van Schie, both Certified Caregiving Consultants, will discuss the strategy for the listener to think about and use when needed.

The podcast episodes will air every first and third Tuesday of the month with the introductory episode due to launch July 5th, 2022, be sure to subscribe so you won't miss the first or any of the subsequent episodes.