Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do

By Roz Jones

Mental health is one of the greatest gifts one can get for themselves. Your mind controls just about everything that happens in your life from your beliefs about yourself to how you handle what happens around you. The worst enemy you can ever have is not the person who hates you with passion. It is a weak mind. Opportunities can come your way and enemies can do all in their power to disrupt your life but how all that turns out depends on your mental strength. In other terms, your mind has the final say in almost everything your brain processes. However, this does not mean that you do not experience emotions. Rather, you are aware of how certain things affect you and devise ways to survive them, block them, or even use them to your own advantage.

Below are some things mentally strong people don’t do

They are not controlled by other people – they know their purpose and that living it does not depend on anyone else’s power but their will and goals. As much as they understand the importance of creating and maintaining good relationships with other people, they also understand that no one can or should play the role of a god in their lives. The fact that they know their purpose and have clear goals makes them immune to peer pressure. They may err and may need advice, but oftentimes, they think through everything they want to do and they have the final say in decisions made concerning their lives. Some people may think they are stubborn, but mentally strong people have their mindset on reaching goals. They prefer to stand out rather than fit in.

They are not controlled by circumstances – mentally strong people do not change their lives based on their situations. They remain focused on their goals and handle situations to work for them or, they give way to situations and overtake them. The point is, whatever happens, a mentally strong person does not change who he or she is.

They do not give up easily – determination defines them. They give their best in everything they do. Where they fail, they take lessons and try again until it works. Of course, this requires them to be realistic and calculative enough to know whether their plan is still as good as they perceived in the beginning. Plans fail for different reasons including that circumstances changed after strategies were formulated or that there were some loopholes.

Check back next week for part 2!

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Interested in making your own contribution to the Caregiver Cafe? There are guest blog spots open for November and December. Email assistrozjones@gmail.com for more info!

Visit http://www.rozjonesent.com for more information on addressing mental health as a caregiver and check out my upcoming book!

Common Self-Love Obstacles People Face pt 2

By Roz Jones

When you are trying to practice self-love, there will be a few obstacles along the way, which can derail your progress if you aren’t prepared. Being aware of common obstacles can allow you to put preventative measures in place. So, let’s look at some more of the most common obstacles caregivers and others may face when trying to practice more self-love.

Needing to be perfect

Perfectionism is a major obstacle to self-love. While a little perfectionism can be a good thing, especially in business, it can also lead to disappointment, frustration, and unhappiness.

When you feel like everything must be perfect, you will be devastated when you fall short. Try and let go of your need for perfection. Understand where your need for perfection comes from. Try to identify triggers so you can set up some preventative measures. Remember, nobody is perfect, not even you!

Not understanding how to love yourself

The biggest barrier to self-love is not understanding how to love yourself. Many people don’t fully understand what self-love means. They mistakenly think it is about doing things you want to do, rather than what you need.

Self-love isn’t just about treating yourself; it is about making sure you are truly fulfilling your needs. For example, if you want to lose weight, indulging in junk food isn’t going to help, even though it might be bringing temporary joy. Instead, a healthier diet and exercise routine is considered a form of self-love, as it helps you to become healthier and fulfils the body’s needs.

These are just some of the common obstacles to self-love we should all be aware of. Awareness grants you the ability to overcome them. Finding people you trust and who build you up is a big part of being able to practice self-love. However, it’s important to be your own personal cheerleader too. Don’t forget that to love and care for our loved ones, we must first love and care for ourselves!

Medicare Open Enrollment starts October 15th!

Interested in making your own contribution to the Caregiver Cafe? There are guest blog spots open for October, November, and December. Email assistrozjones@gmail.com for more info!

Visit http://www.rozjonesent.com for more information on addressing mental health as a caregiver and check out my upcoming book!

When Anxiety Strikes

By Roz Jones

Panic attacks can be the bane of your existence, and can make caring for a loved one or even living your daily life extremely daunting. Never knowing when – or why – an attack can hit makes life unpredictable. Searching for a way to control your anxiety is a natural step to take.

Most anxiety attacks come on suddenly – however, there are usually warning signs. It may only be a few seconds’ warning, but if we try to identify the signs, we may be able to lessen our symptoms. Some people experience chest tightening, lightheadedness, or shaking – all are the immediate signs of a rush of adrenaline. Adrenaline is one of the main identifiable reasons for an anxiety attack.

As soon as you feel an attack beginning to develop, stop what you are doing. If you’re driving, pull over. If you’re standing or walking, sit down. As the attack begins to flower, take slow, steady breaths. Breathe in for five seconds, and out for five seconds. One of the main things people do when they are experiencing an anxiety attack is to breathe in short, sharp gasps; by slowing and focusing on your breathing, you are distracting your mind and resetting the scales.

Keep breathing in this fashion. If necessary, close your eyes and tilt your head back so you have a clear throat passage for air to move through. You may also find some form of self-comforting useful; try rubbing the side of your wrist with a fingertip. Remain calm, focus on your breathing and rest until the feeling has passed.

Medicare Open Enrollment starts October 15th!

Interested in making your own contribution to the Caregiver Cafe? There are guest blog spots open for October, November, and December. Email assistrozjones@gmail.com for more info!

Visit http://www.rozjonesent.com for more information on addressing mental health as a caregiver and check out my upcoming book!

Knowing Your Triggers and Dealing With Them

By Roz Jones

Most sufferers of anxiety disorders have one or more “triggers” which can set off an attack at a moment’s notice. These triggers tend to be associated with the specific source of their anxiety – whether it be health, money, or any of a wide range of issues – and become identifiable to the sufferer within a short time of becoming active.

For any given sufferer of an anxiety disorder, their triggers are a serious issue. The first time most sufferers become aware of their trigger is after it has occurred. For a sufferer of health anxiety, it may be a mere word that describes a symptom. The trigger commences a chain of thought in the sufferer’s mind that ends with a full-blown anxiety attack – which can last for some time and have long-ranging effects.

Even for those without anxiety disorders, there can be circumstances or things that happen or that others say that cause us to feel uncomfortable, stressed, or maybe a little anxious. The same lesson can be applied to try to learn from these experiences to help us grow despite our triggers. It’s also important for us as caregivers to recognize that this may happen in our loved ones, help them recognize it in themselves, and learn ways together to prevent stressful or uncomfortable circumstances.

It is important for any sufferer to look back in the immediate aftermath of an attack and think about what must have been the trigger. Revisiting this may hold its own fears – if it triggered an event before, what’s to say it will not do the same again? Usually, it is the fact that anxiety attacks are not sustainable. By doing this in the aftermath, it is possible to see the trigger for what it was, and although it may not be permanently deactivated it is possible to forestall it happening again.

When you know your triggers, it is possible to deal with them by excising them from your daily life – although this only works short-term – or by exposure therapy. Eventually you can prove to yourself that the trigger only has short-lived power, and that you are stronger.

Visit http://www.rozjonesent.com for more information on addressing mental health as a caregiver and check out my upcoming book!

Self-Care Sunday: Dedicate One Day Each Week to Yourself pt 2

By Roz Jones

Last week, we talked about ideas for establishing a self-care routine and why it’s so important. Here’s a few more things to keep in mind when coming up with your own Self Care Sunday.

Self-Care for Introverts and Extroverts

Something to keep in mind is that what you consider self-care might change depending on if you are more of an introverted or extroverted person.

Self-Care for Introverts

If you are an introvert, you probably find that you are the most relaxed when you are alone. This doesn’t mean you want to be or should be alone all the time, but that you often need a little bit of time to yourself each day to recharge and gain your composure.

Have Quiet Solitude on Sunday – Self-care for an introvert can be as simple as just making sure you have some alone, quiet time on Sundays. You need this time to yourself to regroup and relax. It can be really hard when you go all day around other people and never give yourself this time.

Find Nature-Inspired Activities – Introverts also tend to enjoy time outdoors, again in a quiet and peaceful environment. Try to find some activities you can participate in that will encourage you to spend more time outside.

Embrace Your Creative Side – An amazing way to practice self-care as an introvert is to do something creative. Learn how to crochet, write a poem or short story, color in an adult coloring book, or start painting.

Self-Care for Extroverts

Extroverts are more social creatures, getting their energy from being around other people. If you consider yourself an extrovert, you probably enjoy time with others more than time alone. But what does that mean for your self-care routine? Here are some tips for practicing self-care when you are an extrovert.

Enjoy Social Time with Friends – What might be a little more up your alley is scheduling in time with friends. What better way to practice self-care than spend time with those you love the most?

Volunteer Your Time – Looking for something more meaningful and fulfilling? You might like to volunteer somewhere as your self-care. Look into local community centers or animal shelters that are open on Sunday and see if they need any help.

Join a Local Club – Another social activity that helps with your self-care is joining a local club, like a book club. Not only will you be encouraged to read more, but you can get together once a week with your book club to chat and talk about the book.

Tips for Your Sunday Self-Care Routine

Here are a few more tips for making sure you have a good Sunday self-care routine, and really understand what self-care means and how to avoid the common mistakes.

It Encompasses Emotional, Mental, and Physical Health

Self-care does not fulfill just one need in your life. Different activities provoke different benefits in your life, including helping with your emotional, mental, and physical health.

What works best for you is going to be something that helps you feel relaxed, de-stressed, improves your mood, and is something you absolutely love to do.

Your Self-Care Needs Can Change Regularly

Just because you have committed to writing in your journal and meditating every morning for an hour as your self-care routine, doesn’t mean you have to do this forever. Sometimes, what you choose as your self-care activity changes, or you need to make adjustments based on your schedule.

Revisit what you are doing for self-care often. As your life and the seasons change, so will your self-care and what is actually going to benefit you the most.

A Common Mistake is Forcing Your Self-Care

This can’t be said enough – your self-care routine should not make you more stressed! This is a sign that you are forcing yourself to do something you don’t want to do and that it is doing nothing for you.

It might be because your friend is participating in this form of self-care, or you read that it is a good idea. But remember everyone is different and everyone is going to benefit from different things.

Visit http://www.rozjonesent.com for more information on staying healthy as a caregiver and check out my upcoming book!