» emotional health http://blog.caringbridge.org Thu, 23 May 2013 19:44:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Power to the Patient http://blog.caringbridge.org/power-to-the-patient/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=power-to-the-patient http://blog.caringbridge.org/power-to-the-patient/#comments Thu, 23 May 2013 19:25:46 +0000 Amy Levine http://blog.caringbridge.org/?p=1227 As a patient coping with a health event, you have to deal not only with your body changing drastically — sometimes suddenly and sometimes gradually — but also with a significant loss of self. Your independence is often compromised, and family members cluck and fret and frequently talk over you to your doctors. They mean well, but sometimes your caregiving team may be hindering you more than helping. Maintaining Your Sense of Self. Despite the circumstances and stress of being ill, it is vital that as a patient, you maintain your sense of self. You are not helpless. You are [...]

The post Power to the Patient appeared first on .

]]> http://blog.caringbridge.org/power-to-the-patient/feed/ 0 My Own Silver Linings Playbook: Laughing at My Cancer http://blog.caringbridge.org/laughing-at-my-cancer/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=laughing-at-my-cancer http://blog.caringbridge.org/laughing-at-my-cancer/#comments Tue, 14 May 2013 14:05:37 +0000 Jill Foer Hirsch http://blog.caringbridge.org/?p=1150 I don’t take offense when people call me wacky, offbeat or different. I can’t deny that I find humor in unlikely places. But was cancer really a laughing matter? Well sure, when it was my cancer. Of course I was scared. Yes I held my breath waiting for the results of pathology reports and PET scans. I worried about all the things most people worry about, like how much my family and friends would worry about me, and all the unknowns. But I didn’t use humor to cover up my feelings – I used it to wade through them. Pity Party Cancelled I [...]

The post My Own Silver Linings Playbook: Laughing at My Cancer appeared first on .

]]> http://blog.caringbridge.org/laughing-at-my-cancer/feed/ 2 One social network that promises not to “monetize” you http://blog.caringbridge.org/one-social-network-that-promises-not-to-monetize-you/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=one-social-network-that-promises-not-to-monetize-you http://blog.caringbridge.org/one-social-network-that-promises-not-to-monetize-you/#comments Sun, 28 Oct 2012 03:33:45 +0000 Nell Kauls http://blog.devsvd.cbeagan.org/?p=68 CaringBridge CEO Sona Mehring and Amplifier Jenny Counsell recently spoke about the benefits of sharing health updates in an ad-free space on American Public Media’s Marketplace Tech Report. Though CaringBridge gets calls from potential advertisers almost daily, Sona said we’ll continue to embrace the charitable giving model that has sustained our organization for over 15 years. “Monetizing,” simply put, means trying to make money at the expense of people visiting a site or participating in a social network like Facebook or Twitter. Running paid ads or selling certain information about site visitors are examples of monetizing. CaringBridge doesn’t do this. [...]

The post One social network that promises not to “monetize” you appeared first on .

]]> http://blog.caringbridge.org/one-social-network-that-promises-not-to-monetize-you/feed/ 2 The gift of love and connection http://blog.caringbridge.org/the-gift-of-love-and-connection/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-gift-of-love-and-connection http://blog.caringbridge.org/the-gift-of-love-and-connection/#comments Sat, 27 Oct 2012 02:29:12 +0000 Beth Keathley http://blog.devsvd.cbeagan.org/?p=36 The greatest confirmation of wealth in our lives is to love and be loved. No matter what our circumstances, love is the most valuable gift you can ever hope to give or receive. Through a totally unexpected twist of fate, a wonderful friend introduced me to CaringBridge, an emotional lifeline that connects me to a heartfelt community of personal cheerleaders and creates a two-way flow of love. I hope to be a “wonderful friend” to you and others by sharing my story. My future, suddenly untracked In November 2010, I was in nursing school, aspiring to care for oncology patients [...]

The post The gift of love and connection appeared first on .

]]> http://blog.caringbridge.org/the-gift-of-love-and-connection/feed/ 5 Reshaping your dreams http://blog.caringbridge.org/reshaping-your-dreams/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=reshaping-your-dreams http://blog.caringbridge.org/reshaping-your-dreams/#comments Thu, 25 Oct 2012 02:48:43 +0000 Karin Gelschus http://blog.devsvd.cbeagan.org/?p=45 In her recent WebMD post, guest blogger Karin Gelschus offers an intimate look into her life with lupus. She shares memories of backyard hockey and her childhood dream of playing on an Olympic team. Later, as a young adult, she yearned to be a writer. That came true when she landed a job at a national magazine. As symptoms of her chronic condition came to the forefront, Karin wondered how she’d ever be able to achieve any future dreams. She writes, “’Start out small,’ my doctor prescribed. At that point, it was hard for me to even open pill bottles [...]

The post Reshaping your dreams appeared first on .

]]> http://blog.caringbridge.org/reshaping-your-dreams/feed/ 3