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A Fresh Take on Caring for Yourself [Podcast]

ByJenn Abbenhaus

After my caregiving responsibilities came to a close, I was still in a bit of shock.  I couldn’t believe the tornado that had come into my life, picking up everything I knew as a personal trainer and flinging it all over the place.  Eating habits over there… workouts too far away to see… sleep settling down in another universe.

I was starting from scratch.  In my first 3 months, I dialed into a few simple things that worked for me but when Papa became unresponsive it was clear that two of us would need to be there with Nana most of the time.  My role as a caregiver was about to hit another level and I knew the way I had been caring for myself needed to change, I was in teetering on the ledge of losing my own health.

On the drive home after being gone for a week, I kept trying to come up with how I was going to take care of myself moving forward.  I was 13 miles south of Wheatland, WY when I got the call.  Papa had taken his last breath.

Seeking Answers

As the dust began to settle after the funeral, we leaned into next steps for supporting Nana and I started seeking answers to what the hell I had just experienced.  While I felt alone, there was a nagging voice in my head that said I couldn’t be the only one who has gone through this kind of experience.  Turns out I was far from alone.

I discovered Kay Coughlin on Instagram and joined her private Boundaries Community.  Shortly after we hopped on a call where it was clear we had similar passions and would become fast friends.

Kay is on a mission to help family caregivers get rest and feel less alone.  She is incredibly warm and determined to dispel the societal norm that you must lose yourself while being a caregiver.

Making Sense of It All

Kay invited me to have a conversation on her Podcast, From One Caregiver to Another.  We discuss the unique challenges caregivers face and get real about taking care of yourself when there’s so much pressure to feel guilty if you’re not focusing 100% of your efforts on being a caregiver.

Grab some headphones, turn up the volume and listen in…

Photo by Math on Unsplash
  • 0:55 Our mutual passion and purpose: how to elevate humans with caregiver responsibilities live fuller happier lives
  • 1:30 A little bit about me
  • 3:17 How I work with caregivers now
  • 5:37 My caregiving experience with Papa
  • 9:04 Self-care… my opinion on it and how I navigated my first few months
  • 12:16 Self-awareness around already knowing what to do by redefining success when it comes to your health & well-being
  • 15:37 My theory on what gets in the way of caregivers taking care of themselves
  • 19:55 Emotional weight that takes up so much space and energy
  • 22:09 The thing caregivers, and most humans, miss when it comes to their health and well-being
  • 25:19 How to begin feeling your best as a caregiver, if you don’t already
  • 27:08 One mindset that would be helpful
  • 31:10 The bigger conversation

If you want to read vs listen, you can get a full transcript here.

If you’re struggling to care for yourself, please reach out.  To me… to Kay… to someone.  You are not alone and you don’t have to do this alone.

Sending you lots of love,

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