http://blog.caringbridge.org/3-new-ways-to-think-about-stress-and-find-peace-of-mind/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=3-new-ways-to-think-about-stress-and-find-peace-of-mind Sun, 09 Jun 2013 09:12:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://blog.caringbridge.org/3-new-ways-to-think-about-stress-and-find-peace-of-mind/#comment-788 Gregory Jones Tue, 15 Jan 2013 18:24:13 +0000 http://blog.devsvd.cbeagan.org/?p=55#comment-788 Thank you for sharing your story, what a wonderful testimony to the fact that the truth can and does set us free. I think you will love the remaining items I share in the upcoming blogs on stress as they address the very important issue you raised. Praise God you are able to better look at truth and say,
“here I am, what do you have for me.” It is the first step in proactively dealing with your stress. My prayers will be with you as you continue to sojourn through these issues.

]]> http://blog.caringbridge.org/3-new-ways-to-think-about-stress-and-find-peace-of-mind/#comment-758 Lauren Mon, 14 Jan 2013 22:49:10 +0000 http://blog.devsvd.cbeagan.org/?p=55#comment-758 I was my mother’s prmiary caregiver to Alzheimer’s. And if I had heard someone suggest that I embrace Alzheimer’s while I was in the thick of care giving trenches, I would have quickly dismissed the advice as superficial and one-dimensional. But as a recovering caregiver, I realize the power of that statement. Unintentionally and unrehearsed, I did embrace Alzheimer’s during the early stages of this journey, and that very act fundamentally defined my experience, converting an otherwise stressful journey into a mindful and meaningful series of life lessons.In the beginning I’ll admit that I was afraid of the disease because I didn’t want to lose my mother to the tangles of this fatal disease. I simply wasn’t emotionally prepared to let that happen because it meant letting her go.So I did my best to keep connected to her, by doing what I could. I prepared homemade, single-portioned meals to fill her refrigerator. If she was going to lose her mind, I thought, let it happen on a full stomach. At the very least, it made me feel like I was still in charge. But during those quiet moments when truth becomes easier to swallow, I would admit to myself that my mother was falling apart before my very eyes and it would put me into a panic-stricken tailspin. Like anything in life, the more I looked truth in the eye, the less panic I felt.Gradually I stopped trying to teach her how to use the TV remote, heat up leftovers in a microwave, and hold a telephone. I stopped trying to squeeze her back into the reality that we had once shared because that approach ended up being a source of aggravation to us both. By leaving the ‘denial’ stage and embracing Alzheimer’s, I liberated myself from the fear that Alzheimer’s would steal my mother’s love. And if I still felt unsure or afraid of my mother’s disease, I would remind myself that ‘when life hands you Alzheimer’s, embrace it.Celia PomerantzAlzheimer’s: A Mother Daughter Journey

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