NOVEMBER THEME:
COLLABORATION

"Connection is the energy that is created between people when they feel seen, heard and valued - when they can give and receive without judgment." ~ Brené Brown 

As human beings we are hard-wired for collaboration. Our brains have a need to connect with others in order to thrive. Throughout November we focused on learning to say no, managing perceptions, compare and despair, as well as forgiveness and gratitude all as ways to collaborate. 

As caregivers, we often feel isolated and alone in our caregiving. The journey as a mental illness caregiver is especially lonely, as we feel it isn’t OUR story to tell - it’s our loved one’s story of living with mental illness (or other chronic or serious illness). 

As caregivers, we often feel judged or shamed for our actions (or lack of actions) - and this makes it hard to connect with those we feel "don't understand" or in relationships where we don't feel safe sharing – or being vulnerable – as our most authentic true selves.

Courage to Caregivers brings together caregivers and has created a community of CARE. A place where you’ll never feel alone in your caregiving again. Where you are accepted for who you are (and that's SO much MORE than "just" your caregiving responsibilities). 

We are here to support you - as a caregiver - as YOU - in your personal growth journey towards greater health and well-being. 💙 When you take care of yourself (too), you provide better care to those you love. 

As caregivers - we can support each other. Remember, you are never alone. We are here for you in your journey of caring. We're SO serious about this - that during the Holidays we've added daily weekday availability to "Meet Up" via Zoom. See article below for all the details! 

5 TOOLS TO CONNECT WITH COURAGE

1. BE PRESENT: Turn off your notifications and devices; take a break from your to-do lists.
2. ACTIVE LISTENING: Notice your body language - listen to understand (not to respond).
3. BE VULNERABLE: Be your authentic true self.
4. BE EMPATHETIC: Empathy is NOT sympathy. Empathy is feeling "with" another person. Put yourself in the other person's shoes. 
5. ASK FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Be specific - people want to support you! ​​​​​​​​Keep a list handy so you're always ready for "how can I help you?"

"As we build connected lives, we make it possible to build a connected world." ~ Dr. Vivek Murthy, Together

COLLABORATION AFFIRMATIONS
Use affirmations to inspire you or reframe your thoughts

• I am worthy of my boundaries being respected

• I stand up for myself and others when I say “no” to things that go against my needs and values

• Actively listening to other people allows me to see past my own misconceptions

• I am grateful for the people who support me in my life

APPS FOR COLLABORATION

• Kindness - This app connects people around the world through acts of kindness, allowing you to support your own well-being as well as those around you.
• Habitica - This app motivates you to get things done while having fun through games. Whether it be habits and goals, health and fitness, school and work, Habitica can help you out!
• Understood - This website helps provide support to people with learning and thinking differences through advocacy, community, and resources.
• Be My Eyes connects people needing sighted support with volunteers through live video around the world.

BOOKS

• Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World by Vivek Murthy, M.D.
• Here for It - This memoir-in-essays by R. Eric Thomas examines how we can find self-acceptance and joy in a world that often pushes many people to the margins.
• I Want to Thank You - This book details Gina Hamadey's experience writing thank-you notes each day for an entire year. 
• Love for Imperfect Things - This book by Haemin Sunim explores how holding self-compassion and self-acceptance can help us care for those around us. 

PODCASTS 

• “How to Make Friends and Compliment People” - This episode goes into detail about how we can build relationships with other people through compliments.
• “The Answer to Caregiving Burn-Out with Ai-jen Poo” - This episode celebrates caregivers and discusses the impact of burnout, systemic failures, and more.
• “It’s Okay to Gain Weight with Alex Light” - This episode promotes self-acceptance and body positivity and discusses eating disorders, diets, and healing.
• The Happiness Lab: "Can You be Happy Alone?" discusses the importance of connections and how we can make them.

ARTICLES

• The Power of Saying No - This Psychology Today article details how we can feel more confident in saying no in order to set consistent boundaries in our relationships.
• Types of Stigma and Steps to Stamping It Out - This Healthline article discusses the seven main types of stigma: public, self, perceived, label, structural, health practitioner, and associative and how to overcome stigma.
• How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain - This article explains how gratitude can help shift the way you think and feel over time.
• How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others lists actions we can take to fight insecurity.

WEBSITES

• Kindness.org offers ways for individuals to get engaged with one another through acts of kindness. 
• Building Connections - Berkeley Well-Being Institute provides tips and strategies for building healthy social connections. 

Thanksgiving - Small Business Saturday - Cyber Monday - Giving Tuesday!

November is National Family Caregivers Month – a month to celebrate the unpaid family caregiver. Caregivers are our “WHY” – why we do what we do. We provide hope, support and courage to caregivers - we're in the caregiver burnout prevention business.

While we started as an agency providing support to caregivers in Northeast Ohio, the true silver lining of the pandemic is that we now serve caregivers in every time zone throughout North America. Your support has made that possible.

Providing care to someone you love is hard – and it’s a JOURNEY. It’s essential that, while you’re taking care of others, you ALSO take care of you. If you don’t take care of yourself – what good will you be to those in your care?

Consider a #GivingTuesday gift to Courage to Caregivers via Venmo (@CourageToCaregivers) or our website giving page. Every donation is matched through Monday, December 4 - your donation makes double the impact! Thank you!

We recognize that the Holidays may be an especially difficult time for unpaid family caregivers. Our Fall Nonprofit Management Intern Rebekah created a special Holiday Self-Care Handout for caregivers in need of a little extra support this Holiday Season. You can download it here.

Our Funding Partners, the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cuyahoga County is offering tips on reducing extra stresses in its Coping with the Holidays booklet. The booklet is available on the ADAMHS Board website.

Coping with the Holidays offers suggestions on things like how to reduce stress, deal with loss or change and enjoy the holidays safely and on a budget. In addition, resource numbers are listed for those who find the stress of this holiday season too much to handle. The 24-Hour Warm Line is available at 440-886-5950. Peer-supporters will listen and talk you through things. In crisis, call or text 988.

CAREGIVER HOLIDAY MEET UP

To help you through the holiday season, we want you to know YOU ARE NEVER ALONE, and we will be offering daily "meet ups" in Zoom, Monday through Friday from 12-1 pm ET (starting Monday, December 4). Come hang out with Kristi, Jenny or Amy (here's the Zoom link) - bring your lunch or a hot beverage and we'll be here to listen. No advance notice or RSVP needed - one of us will be hanging around in Zoom to be available. We hope you'll join us if you need to vent, share, just have someone listen to you - OR want to share Holiday wins - either way, we're there for YOU!  

MEET AMY - OUR NEWEST FAMILY PEER SUPPORT SPECIALIST

Amy Zell is our newest certified Family Peer Support Specialist and Group Coaching (Support Group) Leader joining our team part-time! Amy graduated from Thiel College with a BA in English, Kent State University with a Master in Library and Information Science and The Center for Loss and Life Transformation in Colorado with a certification in Death and Grief Studies. She is an OhioMHAS Certified Family Peer Support Specialist (FPS) and trained CFPS Trainer (via NAMI Ohio for OhioMHAS). Amy is passionate about connecting caregivers with resources to empower them to live life to the fullest. 

December's theme is OUTLOOK. Outlook relates to how we view and engage with the situations happening in our lives. By viewing our hope as motivation, finding what brings us inner calm, and taking advantage of our opportunities and possibilities, we can allow ourselves to move forward. As we continue on the journey of discovering our true selves, setting micro-goals will guide us. Check out December's Micro-Challenges Calendar.

Courage to Caregivers Breathing Practice for December: 4-7-8 Breathing

As we support caregivers to make breathing and meditation a practice, we're pleased to share our Breathing Meditation Facilitator Cathy and her monthly breathing practice how-to videos. You can join us for December's Breathing Practice - 4-7-8 Breathing. With this practice, we can relieve stress, promote sleep, and reduce stress. This breath can be especially useful at night to bring the body and mind to rest when you awaken and have difficulty sleeping. You can watch December's instructional video for 4-7-8 Breathing here and remember to subscribe to our Monthly Breathing Practices playlist to stay updated each month! You can also subscribe to our Breathing Meditation playlist, where we upload our weekly breathing meditation recordings, and follow along on our Spotify Breathing Meditation playlist.