The Heart and Soul of Caring highlights 11 unique true stories of the challenges and joys of being a caregiver for a loved one. Each story gives tribute and honor to the care receiver - to the essence of their spirit. Within the stories, you find one personÕs answers to some difficult questions such as: Can you help your mother find peace near end-of-life? What would you do if in an instant the life with your husband changed forever? How would you juggle having to provide care for your elder brother and sister at the same time? How would you cope if someone in your care could not communicate? What youÕll discover are the gifts and blessings that the caregivers receive: a strength of spirit, sense of purpose, giving back to one who was a great provider, and a deep love and connection that transcends time and space.

2022 Revised Edition Who are the caregivers? We all are, for at the heart of being human is the capacity to care, to reach out to others and explore the relationships we build. The Soul of Caregiving is about us, and how we, as caregivers, serve, even sacrifice, for those in need. I invite you to explore with me how we can partake in a kind of sacred journey exploring our experiences as caregivers. Who will be your guide on this journey? Unlike other pilgrims who have a guide assigned to them, you will soon discover it is your own Soul guiding you. We may be professionally skilled to meet the needs of others, but we must also learn to stop and rest. It is not a waste of time, but rather, a necessity. We need time to ponder, reflect, and grow from our experiences. Not an easy endeavor amid a whirlwind of activity. We, as caregivers, experience vulnerability, helplessness, fears, and pain over the traumatic events we experience because we care. We care about those whom we are called to serve. Compassion fatigue arises because we care. Overview of the Chapters Chapter 1 begins by outlying the tension most caregivers experience: the tension their own needs and the needs of those they care for. I call this tension the Dance of Caregiving. Chapter 2 discusses the importance of discovering interior strengths and values where one discovers Soul. Chapter 3 emphasizes caregivers do not care in a vacuum, as there are broad cultural boundaries and expectations which affect them and shape their behaviors. Chapter 4 describes The Archetype of Caregiving, both its strengths and shadow sides. This archetype also relates to several other leadership archetypes, which are also discussed. Chapter 5 discusses hospitality. This chapter positions the caregiver as the host who experiences three different dimensions of hospitality: to host the stranger, to listen to the stories of the guest, and to reflect on their reactions and experiences. Chapter 6 address the frailty of humankind and the notion that we are wounded healers. Chapter 7 addresses the art of reflection as a fundamental skill for caregivers. Chapter 8 argues that the essential actions of a caregiver are spiritual. Chapter 9 explores how the ordinary becomes spiritual as inner strengths and values give birth to meaning, insight, and transformation. Chapter 10 explores compassion fatigue and its two sisters, secondary traumatic stress disorder and burnout. In this chapter, we learn how to recover from compassion fatigue and burnout by building compassion resilience. At the end of each chapter, the reader is invited to ponder and reflect. Your insights are the gold hidden beneath the sands of confusion. Mining these insights will lead to a greater understanding of your strengths and values. The questions at the end of each chapter help facilitate this process.

Don't feel alone and isolated any more. As a long-hour caregiver, you face incredible stress: financial, emotional, and physical. Yet, in the midst of all that, God is gently calling you to come to Him. Come, so you no longer feel desperate and overwhelmed. Come, so you can discover the deep soul-satisfying meaning in your difficult work. Come, experience satisfaction, peace and joy like never before. The Heart of the Caregiver is the path to finding God's heart in your unique situation. Diving into scripture that is relevant to all caregiving situations, fellow caregiver Mary Tutterow shares personal insights and Scripture passages that will help transform your perspective and purpose as you move from overwhelmed to overjoyed. Discover how you were made to love others through the care you provide. The Heart of the Caregiver is the first study in a ministry resource series dedicated to supporting caregivers by addressing issues specific to their spiritual needs. In addition to meeting the spiritual needs of caregivers, this two-part series aims to equip local churches with quality resources as they minister to these dynamic families.

Caregiving can be enormously challenging, terrifically rewarding, and potentially draining. Caregivers often wonder how they will navigate the tumultuous waters of caregiving and not lose themselves completely. The Mindful Caregiver highlights two major approaches to help transform the journey: adopting a practice of mindfulness, which helps caregivers become more self-aware and fully present with the person with whom they are caring, and honoring “the spirit-side” of caregiving which offers new ways of connecting to one another. These approaches take into account not just the needs of the care recipient, but also the needs of the caregiver and other people in his/her life. Remembering to care for oneself when someone else is in great need can be difficult, but with the suggestions and tips in this book, any caregiver can cultivate routines and practices that benefit everyone. Solutions that caregivers can use in their day to day routines are provided, so caregivers who use them can feel more empowered and hopeful. Using real stories throughout, Nancy Kriseman offers self-care exercises and addresses a wide variety of subjects such as setting realistic expectations, making the best possible decisions, advocating effectively, and evaluating available resources and services. The Mindful Caregiver provides inspiration, encouragement, and guidance for finding ease in the caregiving journey. By emphasizing both mindfulness and the spiritual dimension, caregivers can reap the gifts of caregiving, appreciate the special moments, and find strength during the challenging times.

Finding meaning in trauma work, as a traumatized healer yourself. The act of caregiving is physically exhausting and emotionally draining, yet caregivers describe it as rewarding and gratifying. Prolonged exposure to human suffering, however, is not without risks?caregivers report high rates of burnout and poor quality of life. Many care providers believe that their feelings do not matter; that they should ignore their pain, brush off their trauma, wipe away their tears, and just “suck it up.” Here, Omar Reda a Libyan-born American psychiatrist who, as an emergency physician and trauma counselor provided care for medical staff caring for victims of trauma, calls upon other healers to break free from cycles of secrecy, toxic stress, and silent suffering so they can continue to empower and inspire those in their care. Filled with poignant first-person stories and clinical case studies, this book is an impassioned plea for psychosocial trauma care that prioritizes the health of both client and healer.

A moving memoir and an extraordinary love story that shows how an expert physician became a family caregiver and learned why care is so central to all our lives and yet is at risk in today's world. When Dr. Arthur Kleinman, an eminent Harvard psychiatrist and social anthropologist, began caring for his wife, Joan, after she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, he found just how far the act of caregiving extended beyond the boundaries of medicine. In The Soul of Care: The Moral Education of a Husband and a Doctor, Kleinman delivers a deeply humane and inspiring story of his life in medicine and his marriage to Joan, and he describes the practical, emotional and moral aspects of caretaking. He also writes about the problems our society faces as medical technology advances and the cost of health care soars but caring for patients no longer seems important. Caregiving is long, hard, unglamorous work--at moments joyous, more often tedious, sometimes agonizing, but it is always rich in meaning. In the face of our current political indifference and the challenge to the health care system, he emphasizes how we must ask uncomfortable questions of ourselves, and of our doctors. To give care, to be "present" for someone who needs us, and to feel and show kindness are deep emotional and moral experiences, enactments of our core values. The practice of caregiving teaches us what is most important in life, and reveals the very heart of what it is to be human.

Explores simple and meaningful self-care techniques to positively shift and benefit the lives who need it the most and often forget to take care of themselves: caregivers and essential workers. Wellness and self-care do not have to be overwhelming, expensive, or complicated nor do they need to revolve around consumption. Especially for essential workers and caregivers, time and energy are precious. The main goal for this book is to build up one's resilience, leaving them supported, prepared and ready to walk through life more present, and more importantly, feeling better, emotionally, and physically, as well as to lead each day with mindful consciousness. The book features science-backed research and time-tested ways to improve emotional, spiritual, and physical health, helping readers become the best version of themselves. Essentially, the book helps those who have been used to helping others and ignoring their own needs for so long. Some of the benefits contained inside include: The power of taking time for yourself and practicing self-care Stress-reduction techniques How to eliminate distractions Time management skills Strategies to lower anxiety Instructions for at-home yoga Primer on self-reflection, meditation and mindfulness Tips for coping and motivation This book aims to break the cycle, motivate, and excite you to start your self-care journey. Learn how to take responsibility for your own life, as well discovering the tools needed to live a fulfilled lifestyle of ease, grace, and joy.