Caregiver Stress and Endorphins

 As caregivers, we can have a lot of little nagging things that try to drag us down. We may spend hours on end with little or no social interaction, positive feedback, or physical touch. Slowly, these things start to wear away at our souls. As believers, we know that God is the keeper of our souls. He's got us covered. In fact, embracing His word and allowing it to uplift our souls is a great way to encourage our bodies to release endorphins.

Endorphins? What are they, and why should we care, especially as caregivers? Don't we have enough to think about? Yes. We do. And that's exactly why we should think about them. 

Endorphins are positive mood boosters. They help block pain signals, induce pleasurable feelings, help cope with stress, and motivate us to engage in activities that trigger their release. I don't know about you, but I could use some help in that area! And, good thing for both of us, I've been thinking about it lately.

Now, we don't have someone who's going to come in and honestly encourage us a lot of times, right? We tend to be left on our own, as there are not many Matthew 24 people around these days to care for the vulnerable. (That's a whole other story!) Once again, we are left to figure it out ourselves. But God is the one who gives “witty inventions” or clever solutions! (Proverbs 8:12)

As we go about our days, we can make an impact on our stress levels by getting our bodies to release endorphins. That means celebrating every little thing. It means doing something most of us have been doing for a long time, anyway. Turning everything into an opportunity to give thanks.

It may sound silly, but I've started celebrating all the "done" stuff. 

• Yay! I made my bed. Thank you, Lord, for a bed to sleep in at night. 
• Yay! I got the laundry done this morning! Thank you, Lord, for my washer and dryer that continue to work despite their age! 
• Whoohoo! Meal prep and blenderized meals are done for the day! Thank you, Lord, for the equipment I need to make Chris' meals.

Yes, these are things I do every single day. But what happened when I started celebrating done stuff? My attitude got better, and it actually helped boost my mood. You see, I'm sure you've had some days like mine where you go to bed at night with so many things left undone. It's so easy to let negative emotions and thoughts reign and start condemning ourselves for what we didn't get done. But we can turn those negative thoughts into productive endorphins working for us by simply starting to run through the things we did get done!

And let's add one more super endorphin releaser to the list. We trusted God for one more day. If we don't get anything else done that we had planned - that's the biggest of all. We kept running to Him, trusting Him, leaning in to hear what His heart has to say....Isn't that how we make it through our days, no matter what happens on our watch?

Today, I'll remind myself that it's a good thing to keep running back to Him. I will meditate on the truth that when I gather my emotions, wipe my tears, and go running to Him, He always meets me right there. I will remain grateful for His renewed mercies, all-sufficient grace, and everlasting love that carries me day after day. In fact, I can trust Him for one more day. Will you join me?

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Affirmations for Caregivers

I wrote Affirmations for Caregivers because it was what I needed to hear! This 31-day journal includes 31 scripturally based affirmations. Each day, the affirmation is followed by a short writing prompt and a verse or two to read. I also have videos on YouTube that coincide with each day's affirmation.