Care for the Caregiver Tips
Read these 19 Care for the Caregiver Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Mom tips and hundreds of other topics.
Backpain
The jury is out (again) about the benefits of "warm-up" stretches prior to any exertion, but if back pain tends to strike with little notice, try doing about 10 partial sit-ups first. You know, the kind where you lie on your back with knees bent, cross your arms over your chest,and use your abdominal muscles (NOT your neckmuscles)to raise just your shoulders off the floor. Control your descent back to the floor and repeat. Just a breathe of fresh air and the temporary isolation will clear your mind and renew the energy needed to cope with the rest of the day.
Making Perfume Last Longer
Oily skin holds perfume scents longer than dry skin. So, before applying perfume, rub a very thin layer of Vaseline or petroleum jelly on your skin and you will smell delicious for hours.
How to Relax
Sit quietly and comfortably and close your eyes. After taking 5 deep cleansing breaths, bring your attention to your surroundings. What can you hear, smell and feel? Pay attention to detail, subtle sensory stimuli and what you might not usually notice. When your mind wanders, gently bring it back to something you hear, smell or feel.
C Section Recovery
Recovering from C Section? Do not do any vacuuming until at least 6 weeks after surgery. The pull of the machine is deceptively strong and too much for your healing abdomen to handle.
Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
It was very hard the first time I left my kids at their grandparents' house to get away with my husband for a weekend. It is very important, however, to take a break. It makes me appreciate my kids more than I already do.
Backpain
Back pain can be a debilitating state. It can also be a symptom of something else, entirely. Any pregnant person will tell you that the relatively sudden addition of body mass (that's baby, not fat) tends to throw your balance way off normal. Until that mass has been removed, the back, literally, strains continuously tocompensate for the change in the center of gravity. Does this type of physical stress (increased body [fat, not baby] mass) explain why your back may be feeling the pinch? If so, do something to lessen the mass, thereby treating the cause, not the symptom(s).
Backpain
Please take care of your back. Pain is by no means normal. If your discomfort lasts more than 3 weeks, consult with your family physician as there are so many possible internal reasons that start as inconvenient back pain. If your parents happened to have had similar signs or symptoms, do not hesitate to log your concerns with a qualified doctor.
Backpain
Does back pain follow you everywhere? Try lying on your side while sleeping rather than on your back. Place one pillow lengthwise between your legs and another one behind you to prevent you from rolling onto your back. Sometimes, just cutting down on the length of time spent in bed sleeping will actually relieve some minor discomforts.
Preventing Backpain
Lift children by bending from the knees and keeping your back straight. Don't bend at the waist. Maintain spinal alignment with all of your motions.
Beauty on a Budget
Both massage and cosmetology schools offer services at significantly reduced rates than professional salons.
Stress-Busters
If stress and fatigue plague you constantly, a change of scenery may be in order. Take a stroll at lunch or after work or any time. Start small, like 10 minutes, wear comfortable shoes, preferably with good ankle support and thick cushioned soles.
MY To Do Lists
Make sure you put things that you WANT to do -- not just things that you HAVE to do -- on your "to do" lists.
Back Care
How would you rate your posture on a routine basis? Has it changed for the worse due to compounding daily stresses? Try standing and sitting tall whenever you think about it. Straighter. Higher. That's great! Now take a deep breathe and hold it...hold it...blow it all out slowly through your pursed lips. Try to walk tall and really suck in your abdominal muscles every time you walk through a doorway. Exercising your "abs" will in turn help support your back.
Making Time for Exercise
You know how tired you are by evening. Getting up one half hour earlier will allow you enough time to have a decent workout.
Back care
Back pain due to stress and fatigue ? Try changing the type of shoes you wear at least three times a day. The ultimate in foot support is a specific walking or running shoe. The latest generation of built in air cushions really do absorb the shock of each step that, in turn, vibrate all the way up your spine. The different heights of heels and support give your back an alternating workout and rest cycle. Also a good workout when you can get it, is to walk barefoot along a sandy beach.
Take Five
Sit quietly and comfortably and close your eyes. After taking 5 deep cleansing breaths, bring your attention to your surroundings. What can you hear, smell and feel? Pay attention to detail, subtle sensory stimuli and what you might not usually notice. When your mind wanders, gently bring it back to something you hear, smell or feel.
Backpain
Try standing with your head, shoulders and heels against a wall. Place one hand behind the small of your back. Now push your back so that it, too, is flush against your hand and the wall. Relax and repeat. Hint: If you tilt your pelvis front up,back down, this exercise is very easy.
