Spiritual Self-Care
Spiritual self-care is about infusing your personal beliefs and values into your life. Some examples include: soaking up nature, mindfulness, prayer, journaling, enjoying solitude, talking about end-of-life wishes, expressing gratitude, and attending a retreat.
Podcast Episodes
Sisterpower!
In this milestone 200th episode of the Happy Healthy Caregiver podcast, I’m thrilled to share something extra special with you—I’m introducing two amazing people who mean the world to me: my sisters! You may already be familiar with my older sister, Susie Morrell, who was our mom’s primary caregiver for many years and has been featured on two previous episodes. However, this is the first time you’ll meet my younger sister, Anne Woodbury, who has also been a part of our caregiving journey. Together, we’ll reflect on our upbringing, caregiving experiences, and what it’s been like to share the care for over a decade. We’ll also dive into our current caregiving roles, including our care plan for our brother Tom, who lives with a developmental disability. Plus, we’ll talk about what self-care really looks like for us now.
Hope for Caregivers
Meet Peter Rosenberger, who has been a family caregiver for over 38 years for a spouse with severe disabilities. Peter is fluent in the language of caregiver and has navigated a medical nightmare that has mushroomed to 85+ major operations—including the amputation of both of his wife Gracie’s legs below the knee. In this episode, Peter recounts his experience attempting to admit himself to a mental hospital, discusses why caregiving shouldn’t hinder us from embracing life, shares his strategies for finding moments of stillness and pursuing energizing hobbies, and outlines how he spreads hope among caregivers.
Everything You Want to Know About Hospice
Most people run away from the topics of death and dying but Registered Nurse and family caregiver Barbara Karnes runs toward it. She’s a quoted expert in many national media publications and has been awarded the NHPCO Innovator award for her decades as an end-of-life educator. She is a pioneer in the hospice industry and the author of what is referred to as “the little blue hospice book”. In this episode, we talk about all things related to hospice and end of life. We dispel the popular myths, define the terms, and find out why Barbara continues to make this her life’s work.
- Healing Powers of Nature – Lisa Nigro
- A Faith Based Ministry – Sheila Welch
- Staying Present – Beth Scibienski
- Yoga4Caregivers – Ellen and Jennifer
- The Death Positive Movement – Cassidy Bastien
- Mindfulness & Meditation – Elizabeth Miller
- A Spiritual Journey – Deb Kelsey Davis
Articles
From Our Gift Shop
Books for Inspiration & Healing
Create Your Zen
- Just for You: a Daily Self-Care Journal by Elizabeth Miller
- Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
- Hope for the Caregiver: Encouraging Words to Strengthen our Spirit by Peter Rosenberger
- Good Grief by Granger E. Westberg
- Jesus Calling daily devotional by Sarah Young
- Grief Survivor 28 Steps Toward Hope and Healing by Beth Marshall
- Caregiver Jar Inserts
- Magnetic Poetry
- Inspirational Watercolor
- Five Wishes Advance Directive
Other Spiritual Caregiving & Self-Care Resources
- The Conversation Project – Request a free conversation starter kit on how to talk to your loved ones about their desires for end-of-life care.
- National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) – Learn more about your palliative care and hospice options.
- Nourish for Caregivers – The Caregiving Wisdom Series (Elizabeth’s topic: Family Dynamics)
- Share this action plan with your faith community to develop a caregiving ministry
- The Scripture Store – Memorize, Wear, and Share the Gospel