Energizer Bunnies

There's no doubt that caregiver burnout is real. But what are we supposed to do about it? I've read many posts about how to prevent it and how detrimental it can be. One of the best ways to avoid it is to take a break. To which I reply, yeah, right. Not only are many of us unable to take a break, but we are also on go 24/7. We don't get paid days off, no PTO, or paid leave. Vacation isn't even in our vocabularies. Right?

We may get tired, worn out, worn down, fatigued, exhausted, and burned out - but we just keep going. Like the energizer bunny - we keep going and going and going, even to our own detriment sometimes. Most of the time, it's because we really don't have any other choice. Other times, we simply become comfortable with our discomfort. One morning, I woke up and wondered just how long it had been since I'd had a shower. That's when it's time to worry. Lol.

All these thoughts, and many more, were running through my head. I was sorting out my work responsibilities and caregiving tasks for the day. I really wanted to justify watching my football games this afternoon. (smile) I thought, man, my thoughts are running crazy this morning as I sipped my coffee. Then I thought, there's a scripture for that!

Sure enough, I looked it up and found it in Psalm 94:19. I remember the old KJV saying, in the multitude of my thoughts but newer translations use anxieties (NKJV) and doubts (NLT). So, I looked it up in the handy dandy Strong's Concordance. It literally means thoughts. A lot of thoughts don't mean we are doubting, anxious, or worrying about things. We're just thinking them through! But in the middle of those thoughts - God brings comfort, hope, and peace. He waits for our energizer bunny mind to stop or slow down for a minute, then He extends His grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

He's not afraid of my multitude of thoughts - whether they are founded in fear, doubt, or just having too much on my plate. Remember, Jesus walked right out into the storm to His disciples. He didn't wait for the storm to pass. We don't "need" peace after the storm; we need His peace, grace, mercy, hope, and comfort to make it through the storms.

Today, I'll remind myself that God is not too scared of my thoughts to hang out with me. I'll think about how He stays... and stays, and stays with me - no matter what. I'll be thankful that my crazy thoughts and cave-like life isn't too much for Him to handle. In fact, He reaches in - when I reach my end, and He brings me out of the fog. I'll turn my thoughts today away from the craziness of caregiving and to His grace and peace. Will you join me?

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31 Days in Psalm 31 devotional book cover

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Comments

Caregiver Burnout is Real

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Part of the Crowd

I took Chris to our local minor league baseball team's game yesterday. I must say I give the ballpark an A+ on accessibility. The parking guys pointed me to a handicap spot right near the gate. And from there, I just rolled him in and found our accessible seating - which just means a chair beside an empty spot for the wheelchair to fit in! It was great. He could see fine and even though it was a bit loud at times - it wasn't too loud for him. What joy fills my heart when I find things to do that are positive. As we sat and watched the game, we became part of the crowd. We were all watching the game and cheering on the home team. We had one purpose - besides being entertained, and that was to support the local team. We all cheered when our guys made a play. We hooped and hollered when one of them stole a base or hit a home run. It was so amazing to be part of something bigger than us - to be part of the community. It made me think about the crowds who followed Jesus and the w

Ups and Downs

Maybe it's just "that time of year" for me, but I've struggled a lot the last few weeks. I still affectionately call it the caregiver's fog. Lol. Okay, maybe it's not-so-affectionately. I know I can share my true feelings with you guys because you get it. You understand the day-to-day grind of caregiving. The military has a saying about there being no easy day. I think we live in that reality. It's just not easy caring for another whole person, is it? Caregiving presents many difficulties. We can find ourselves alone, so very alone on this journey. It doesn't just go away. We don't just work through it. It seems to go on and on. There are lots of ups and downs - and that can be about every 90 seconds some days. Right? (smile!) As I've been working through this emotional maze the last few days, I turned my thoughts to Daniel. Let's take a realistic look at his circumstances because as we read his story in the Bible, we tend to glamorize i

Daily Devotions for Caregivers

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