5 Benefits of Having Better Conversations

By Roz Jones

Most of us spend time every day surrounded by friends, colleagues, strangers and loved ones. Whether it’s on our daily commute, sitting in the park, at home, at work, or visiting the supermarket, we see plenty of people.

Yet many of us – particularly caregivers – have a self-imposed feeling of isolation. We might say a quick “hello”, but don’t bother to have a better conversation than that.

It could be because we’re simply consumed by our own thoughts, but it could also be because we believe reaching out to a stranger will make us both feel uncomfortable, or maybe that the other person is too busy to talk.

These beliefs are unfounded. Research suggests that having regular conversations with others has positive impacts on the lives of both conversation partners. Here are five of my favorite positive developments that come from having better, deeper conversations:

Having a conversation with a stranger may leave you feeling happier. Connecting with others won’t suddenly turn a life of misery into bliss, but it can change an unpleasant moment (like waiting in line, or spending time at the doctor’s office) into something more pleasant.

When you have better, more meaningful conversations with others, you often learn things you didn’t know about. As you ask questions and listen, you pick up on little nuggets of information that help you understand and grow, as a person and even as a caregiver.

Having conversations keeps you from feeling isolated and depressed. It can also help to relieve stress. By simply opening up to your loved ones when you are having a stressful day, you will feel more relaxed. Connecting with others regularly builds a sense of belonging we all crave.

You can develop self-confidence by having meaningful conversations. When someone takes the time to listen to you, it shows you that you are valuable. Surprisingly, even conversations that make you a little uncomfortable can also boost your confidence!

Better conversations can help repair relationships. When you don’t communicate your needs, hurts, wants, desires with the ones you love, it festers and grows and can become irreparable. Taking the time to have a heart-felt open conversation puts you on the path to healing and understanding one another.

I’ve just launched Shop With Roz, my online store filled with supplies and gifts for every caregiver. You can find a wide variety of products in the store to help yourself and your loved one. Check it out here!

After you have a look through the store, see any products you use and love as a caregiver, and think we should share them with everyone? Let me know!

It’s here, I am so excited to share a new caregiver app called CircleOf….This app will allow you to surround yourself with resources and experts from your community including ME!!!! As you are looking through the app, you will see my familiar face. I’m excited about this partnership and new ways to support you as you support your loved one. Here’s the link so you can explore the app. I would love your feedback and spread the word by sharing the link to family and friends.

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

Don’t Underestimate the Power of a Smile

By Roz Jones

This month, we’re discussing how you can have better conversations by utilizing different social skills, or “tools”. As a caregiver, your chance for having deep conversations can be more limited than the average person – and I want to help you make the most of the opportunities you have for connection and deeper conversations, whether that’s with your loved ones, or with a stranger in a doctor’s office.

Let’s talk about one simple gesture that is important in every conversation and encounter you have: Smiling.

Don’t underestimate the power of smiling. A warm smile is your best friend when it comes to starting a conversation. It’s the most important non-verbal cue you can give someone.

Marianne LaFrance, a Yale University psychology professor writes in her book Lip Service that a smile creates a subconscious emotional current in people who see it.

Smiles can be interpreted in a variety of ways such as friendly, mischievous, or as flirtatious. But the most preferred smile is the classic “Duchenne” smile. Named after the researcher who described it, the Duchenne smile involves moving the major muscle that pulls the corners of the mouth up in combination with the muscles that circle the eyes.

This more genuine-feeling smile stimulates the reward centers in the brains of people who see it. When you smile this way, people see you as friendly, intelligent, kind, sincere, attractive, and likable – which is a great way to start off in a conversation.

After you have a look through the store, see any products you use and love as a caregiver, and think we should share them with everyone? Let me know!

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

3 Ways to Have a Conversation with Older Generations

By Roz Jones

Today I want to talk about having conversations with the elderly. Some people find it difficult or don’t know what to say to older people. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Whether you work or volunteer at a nursing facility, have an elderly neighbor who you want to get to know, care for an older loved one, or some other way you interact with the elderly, knowing how to have better conversations with them helps both of you thrive.

Senior members of the population are more prone to loneliness than other age groups. Weakened health, decline in physical mobility, and loss of driving privileges due to age all affect their ability to socialize. This doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy company.

3 Ways to Have a Conversation with Older Generations

Ask open-ended questions. Ask about their family, for example. Encourage them to talk about their life. Seniors are a wealth of knowledge, filled with stories from decades of life experiences, funny stories, inspiring tales of courage, relationship stories, or even shocking things like wars or living in the Great Depression.

Sit down with them with their photo albums, music records, or recipes and travel back through time, encouraging them to tell their stories behind the images.

Try to find a quiet place that is relaxing and has few distractions. Turn off radios, televisions, and your phone. Be mindful of hearing challenges they might have. You may have to speak a little louder, slower, and more distinctly so they can understand your words. Be patient if they struggle to find the right words.

Use these conversation starters to help you build relationships with older generations.

What life experiences gave you the most happiness?
How did your military experience shape you?
Tell me about your friends growing up? What was school like?
What’s your view on ….?
Do you recall the types of clothing or popular hairstyles of your youth?
What was your favorite time of day when you were younger?

After you have a look through the store, see any products you use and love as a caregiver, and think we should share them with everyone? Let me know!

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

Why Do You Procrastinate?

By Roz Jones

If you have accepted that you are a procrastinator, there are many possible reasons that you do it. You may do it for entirely different reasons than those listed, but for most people, they fall into one or more of these reasons for procrastination.

Fear of Failure – Many people don’t want to start something and finish it because they’re afraid they’ll do a lousy job, and they will fail. They often think if they’re not the best that they’ve failed too.

Fear of Success – Likewise, some people are terrified of being a success. That might seem strange, but being successful in something can cause a lot of pressure on a person.

You Don’t Like Doing It – This is a widespread reason for avoiding things that you need to do. The idea is if you really don’t like doing it, and someone else can do it for you, stop doing it. If it’s something you still must do, do it first, get it out of the way, and stop agonizing over it.

You Don’t Know How to Do It – Sometimes a person puts off doing something because they don’t trust that they really know how to do it correctly, so they get stuck. If you don’t know how to do something, instead of putting it off, learn how, or find someone who knows to help you.

Lack of Desire or Motivation – If you put things off due to not having desire or motivation, this is just an excuse. It comes from the idea that everything you do needs to be something you’re jazzed about doing. This is where “writer’s block” comes from. For this problem, just start doing the thing for at least five minutes, and you’re likely to overcome it.

You Don’t Like Authority – For some people, they procrastinate because they simply don’t like anyone telling them when or what to do. Even if you’re not openly defiant, you have to ask yourself if this is one of your issues or not. If you feel resentful when given a deadline and start ignoring it right away, this might be an issue for you. The only way to overcome this is to realize that you’re only hurting yourself when you miss deadlines.

If you notice you’re procrastinating, missing deadlines, pulling a lot of overnighters, it’s essential to figure out why you’re doing it to yourself. Once you do, you can address those issues and overcome procrastination tendencies.

After you have a look through the store, see any products you use and love as a caregiver, and think we should share them with everyone? Let me know!

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

Self-Discipline: Start the Year Off on the Right Foot

By Roz Jones

Self-discipline is an important skill every person who wants to achieve more in life should possess. Self-discipline is essential in every aspect of life. Even though most people recognize the benefits of self-discipline, very few do something to reinforce and grow this beneficial skill.

Contrary to some beliefs, self-discipline is not being harsh to yourself or living a restrictive lifestyle. Self-discipline also means self-control. It is a sign of inner strength and control of your actions, and your reactions. Self-discipline provides the power to stick to hard decisions, and follow them without changing your mind. This means self-discipline is an important requirement for achieving vital goals.

One of the main characteristics of self-discipline is the capability to reject pleasure and immediate enjoyment in favor of greater success, which is gained by spending time and effort.

Why self-discipline is important

The possession of self-discipline helps you to continue with your plans and decisions until you achieve them. It also displays as an inner strength that helps you to overcome addictions, laziness, and procrastination.

Self-discipline is an important ingredient for success. It is the ability not to give up regardless of setbacks and failures. In fact, it is an important pillar of stable, long-term success. It is a skill that will help you understand the importance of life.

Want to cultivate your own self-discipline? I’m continuing this discussion with my newsletter readers tomorrow, you can sign up to get part two right in your inbox here!

After you have a look through the store, see any products you use and love as a caregiver, and think we should share them with everyone? Let me know!

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