The Survivor's Guide to Life

Patrick, who also goes by the name “See Music” shares how a tragic childhood of loss and rejection created in him a “life pattern” in which he sought out others who had similar childhoods. Unfortunately, this life patten – his need to rescue others like himself even at his own expense – lead him into a years-long toxic relationship that wound up hurting him both emotionally and financially. Patrick goes on to discuss how he recovered from this unfortunate setback: first, by recognizing the negative aspects of his need to rescue others and, second, by learning to take better care of himself.

Caregivers give greatly of themselves in time and energy. Effective self-care includes paying attention to preserving energy and seeing to physical and emotional needs. Many caregivers are unaware, however, that caregiving also involves taking in often-painful energy from a loved one or client. In this podcast, we share from our Lynn's Legacy Resilience and Renewal training curriculum to explain how a caregiver's empathic connection can lead to emotional triggering, overload, and energy depletion. Tune in for essential, key concepts for caregivers to know to preserve their health and well-being.

On March 28th, the New York Times Magazine published a powerfully revealing article about young adults caring for their aging parents - while trying to earn a living, parent their children, and preserve their own health. The statistics were dramatic. "The share of caregivers who are under 45 quintupled over the past two decades, to nearly 66 percent from 16 percent." These caregivers are "often shouldering the burden with no pay and little outside help", even from other family members. The magazine article profiles Randi Schofield as she spirals downward attempting to meet the needs of her father, who suffers from car accident injuries complicated by other long-standing health issues. Our Lynn's Legacy: Caring for the Caregiver program was created out of our own caregiving experience to respond to the extraordinary needs of family caregivers in distress. In this podcast, we share insights into the physical and emotional toll caregivers like Randi experience, and how Lynn's Legacy can help. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/28/magazine/elder-child-care-millennials.html

Are you holding on to something that's holding you back? Is there something - or someone - that feels essential but in fact is getting in your way of moving on to better things? The Survivor's Guide to Life's social media coordinator Patrick Cyuzuzo (SEE) shares from his experiences and urges you to "let it go" in this inspiring episode of our podcast.

Many people face the reality of having a loved one in need of caregiving. What will it take for them to succeed and preserve their health and well-being in this sacrificial calling, this "extraordinary reality"? Caregiving can be exhausting, depleting, and emotionally draining. The keys to resilience as a caregiver are many and in this podcast we highlight two essentials - using a team approach and being action-oriented.

What are you leaving unfinished? What excuses could you make for giving up now? Patrick Cyuzuzo has a message for you - keep moving forward, keep waking up each morning and pushing on. Have persistence; believe your season of pain and struggle will end. Through challenges big and small, you can make it through. There is hope for tomorrow

CNN news contributor Harris Faulkner, a smart, savvy woman of faith, has a new best-seller, "Faith Still Moves Mountains". In her book, Faulkner profiles stories from people who've experienced God's hand in their lives during very difficult times and crises. When we're feeling depleted, incapable, weak and hopeless, Faulkner's book reminds us that, in response to prayer, God can work through us and through others in circumstances we couldn't have imagined. In this podcast, Peter shares a dark time in his life when God stepped in through a most unlikely source.

2022 was a year of significant stress, loss and grief. Many people took on caregiving roles for loved ones without appreciating the physical and emotional toll it would take, leading to depletion of health and well-being. We've said it many times, "Self care is not selfish, it is essential," but caregivers must move beyond head knowledge to taking action. Patrick Cyuzuzo, one of our support staff for The Survivor's Guide to Life, experienced an extremely challenging health crisis during 2022. In an excerpt from a video (posted in entirety on our YouTube page), Patrick shares how he moves through adversity to resilience and growth through the power of positivity.

Born and raised in Rwanda. SEE, a Gospel and Inspirational artist, is a dedicated young man who is passionate about youth transformation, mental health, and the rise of Christ-centered youth through his music and his motivational speaking. In this special episode of The Survivor’s Guide to Life, SEE shares about some of the tragic and scary times of his life and how he was able to change his view of life so that he can look ahead to the future with hope and joy despite the many challenges he has faced.

A recent series of articles highlighting the destructive nature of relationships between narcissists and empaths has a direct bearing on caregivers and caregiver burnout. Attention-seeking narcissists, who use manipulation and exploitation to get their endless needs met, see selfless, giving empaths as the perfect people to meet those needs. Empaths seek people whose needs they can fill, often at their own expense and without appropriate boundaries or perspective about whether the other person's needs are legitimate. Caregiving is a calling for empaths. When a caregiver has a relationship with a narcissist, they can be quickly drained to the point of burnout. Awareness of these possible relationship dynamics, support and self-care are vitally important for caregivers to preserve their health and well-being.