Live As If Every Day Was The Weekend!

Chances are you don’t want to live your life as if all you’re living for is the weekend, right? When you’re caregiver that is sometimes what you look forward to, but then the weekends are likely spent caring for your aging loved ones. Those in the Sandwich Generation – caring for their own children and also their parents – means that every day is likely full of work, caregiving and household chores. We understand!

We also understand that there are ways to change your mindset so that you’re not just “living for the weekend” but living your life as if every day is as enjoyable as Saturday and Sunday. Here are out best tips:

• Count your blessings. For some people, blessings aren’t counted until something happens that rocks their world. If you wake up and take stock of all that you have to be grateful for, chances are your day will get off on the right foot.
• Make certain you’re getting enough sleep at night. If you’re not sleeping well, the new day will dawn and it will be all you can do to drag yourself out of bed. Get your eight hours sleep, more if you need it, and your day may just start off better!
• If you’re at retirement age or nearing it, take stock of your wealth of experience and knowledge and see if you can turn that into a viable career once you’ve retired. Look at retirement as a Second Act in your life.
• Talk with your employers to see if you can have a more flexible work schedule. Many employers are willing to work with their employees to help keep them happy. Why? A happy employee is a satisfied employee and is one who will be more productive when at work. A more flexible schedule may allow you to come in earlier or later or leave earlier or later so you can get those outside tasks taken care of.
• Take time to do what you really love. As a caregiver you need to take care of yourself and indulge in your hobbies. If you enjoy soaking in a bubble bath but haven’t done so in a while, take time to do that once a week, If you love golf, or knitting or boating or taking a walk in the woods, carve out time for yourself and do just that.
• Make new friends. If you’re constantly taking care of others, we’ll bet you haven’t taken time to make a new friend or grab a cup of coffee with someone. Join a club, take a class, say hello when you’re in line at the grocery store. A new friend could be someone with whom you can do fun activities.
• Take responsibility for your own happiness. Bottom line, we all have the option to live a happy life, or an unhappy life, regardless of the circumstances you’re facing. Even if your life isn’t easy or going as smoothly as you hoped it would, you need to stop, take stock and put your mind to enjoying all of your days – even the weekdays!

If you’re in the caregiver role, find others who are in your same situation and talk with them to see how they’re coping and what they’re doing to enjoy their lives to the fullest.