Rayna’s
Blog
Overwhelm
Some of my best memories are from the time I spent caring for my parents. I truly am blessed to have had the opportunity to share in their journey in such an intimate way. Looking back now, I spend time revisiting those fond memories often. But I can also recall the...
Grief Doesn’t Take a Holiday
Grief is an odd process. Just when you think you have a handle on things BAM! It comes back to hit you full force – often from out of nowhere. Miniscule things, like smells and memories, can trigger fresh waves of grief, leaving you reeling and wondering if things...
How Well Do You Manage Your Energy?
When the seemingly relentless demands at work and burdens of a busy life take their toll on work performance, we tend to think that managing our time better will improve the situation. If we can just work faster, multitask more efficiently, things will be better, we...
Resentments and What to Do with Them
Some people can spend hours dwelling on the wrongs done them, the injustices, the slights, the snubs, insults, indifferences, slurs, and just plain bad treatment. They can think of a particular instance and, sure as Pavlov’s dog, up comes the same feeling the original...
Handling Adversity: You’re Stronger than You Thought
Catastrophic events like 9/11 and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina can knock us to our knees. But personal adversities can pack an equally powerful punch. Our spouse is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, our dad falls and breaks his hip, we lose our home. Often these...
The Effects of Family Roles and the Caring Years
With hardly any thought at all, you can probably say whether, in your family of origin, you played the role of the responsible one or the rebel, the people pleaser or the mascot. Roles serve an organizing function. In a family, roles sort out each person’s...
You Can Say No
Saying, “No,” is hard. I get it. Saying no to an aging or ill parent as an adult caretaker is even harder. It can be downright heartbreaking! No one wants to say no, but sometimes it has to be done. During a season of caring, we sometimes must do what’s best for our...
How to Talk to Your Loved Ones About Money
Anyone who has ever been in a relationship has had to deal with financial concerns, whether that relationship was with a spouse, partner, parent, roommate or friend. However, talking about money can bring up uncomfortable feelings, especially when we have assumptions...
Changing Relationships: Caring for Yourself While Caring for Your Aging Parents
With people living longer than ever before, more and more individuals find themselves sandwiched between caring for their children and caring for their aging parents. Coping with our fast-paced, always-connected world is stressful enough, but when you add double...
Gratitude Impacts Your Caring Season
What does gratitude have to do with caring for an aging parent? That is a great question. The journey of caring is full of ups and downs and can often last much longer than we expect. Gratitude can have a significant impact on your journey. The practice of gratitude...
What does success look like in your caring season?
I was blessed to have an amazing Dad who worked very hard to become a man who put his family first. In fact, when I think of the childhood my dad experienced in comparison to the one he provided for me I am in awe of the differences. Without a doubt, I would say...
