About This Practice
As a caregiver, you may feel guilty for doing activities you feel are pleasant or enjoyable. Without time for yourself, you can lose yourself in caregiving. In this practice, you'll develop the capacity to feel less guilty about making space for yourself and thus reduce the burden caregiving can create. By decreasing your sense of guilt and burden, you’ll be able to feel a little less stressed each day. Moreover, you'll lower the pressure to meet an unrealistic and even inhumane standard for caregiving.
Steps
Write your inventory
Find a small piece of paper or notebook that you can reference daily and write out the following question: What have I stopped doing that I used to find enjoyable? For the next three days, when something comes to mind that answers this question, write it down.
Schedule your favorite activities
Pick one of your favorite enjoyable activities. Consider how much time you can allocate to doing it this week, without putting the burden of guilt on yourself. Schedule time to do the activity over the next three days and protect this space for yourself. Perhaps someone can even help you out while you do it.
Embrace the feeling
Recall the enjoyable activity you made time for and remember how it felt. Preferably, try to remember it during any moment you feel guilty. Keep doing this throughout the day, as many times as you can.
Schedule your next favorite activity
Schedule time over the next week for another pleasant activity. Mix it up if you’d like!