ADJUSTING & ADAPTING
This week in our Tuesday Women’s Empowerment Circle we had a deep conversation about adjusting to your Rare child’s diagnosis and the challenges that one may encounter in navigating a medicalized lifestyle when there is no clear path through. The truth is that when you receive a diagnosis, you are entering into an entirely new season of life. When you also have a neurotypical child, you will need to adapt to learning how to parent two very different humans at the same time. How you discipline your Rare child will be quite different than setting boundaries and consequences for your neurotypical child.
Constantly adapting
In order to find your way through this new life, you will need to consistently adapt to your child’s needs. It is best not to resist these changes. The question arises as to how to care for yourself as you tend to your Rare child. What are the self-care practices that will enable you to stay connected to yourself and not get burned out? Here is our list:
Most importantly, make sure that YOU are #1 on your list so that you will be able to respond to situations calmly rather than react
Exercise regularly
Attend the Raregivers weekly group meetings
Remember to breathe and check in with your breath often
Engage in daily meditation or prayer
Practice gratitude. Make a list of what you are grateful for each day so you can stay in gratitude in the midst of the chaos
Spend time in nature
Cultivate a quiet morning practice of journaling
Navigating Anxiety
Many raregivers report dealing with overwhelm and anxiety. Anxiety is fear of the future which may look like getting caught in the “what ifs…?” The best thing you can do is notice when you are getting anxious or falling into catastrophic thinking. Pause. Put your phone down and do a gratitude practice or simply take some breaths. Remember, everything is not urgent. Zoom out and recognize that people (like the pioneers) have been doing hard things for a long, long time. You are not alone. You will get through this. We have your back.
Coming Up Next Week: Lessons From Your Past Self
A raregiver’s environment and daily routine includes sleep deprivation, a subjugation of personal needs, limited downtime and a tendency to go it alone. Even if you are a self-aware and successful person, becoming a raregiver can knock you off balance. A raregiver typically gets less time alone and less quality time with significant others. These constraints along with decreased time for self-care leads to an unsustainable structure that will eventually collapse. In this session, you will learn from your past self about what works to sustain you. Come drink from the well of wisdom that lives within you.
Please Join Us
You may not realize how much you need the Raregivers community until you find it.
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88974713173
We look forward to being with you soon.