Contributed by Nathan McVeigh
The most pressing burden all caregivers carry is to meet peoples’ needs, not just by persevering through its demands, but by doing so day in, and day out. Whether it’s caring for the elderly, caring for someone with special needs, or caring for someone who’s experienced major trauma or illness, the physical, emotional, and relational demands of caregiving take their toll over time. While there are several strategies to lighten your burden, some are quicker to apply than others.
Why Inspirational Quotes Can Make a Difference
There always comes a point where caregivers find their patience and determination waring thin. When that happens, it’s best to have a mixture of long term motivators and quickly accessible strategies to help you provide quality human care at every given moment.
Quick motivational strategies aren’t as difficult to come by as some people think. Some caregivers remind themselves why caring for the elderly is so helpful to those who love them. When you remember that what you do helps other people live comfortably the way they want to, there aren’t many feelings that compare to the joy you feel in that moment.
While that’s true, it also doesn’t hurt to have additional motivators in your “caregiver stability kit.” One of the easiest ways to do that is to have quick access to inspirational and motivational phrases and quotes. The best way to make sure these inspirations are close at hand is to put them in writing.
Something as simple as writing inspirational quotes on an index card or post-it note is going to solidify that quote in your mind better than if you don’t take the time to write it down by hand. Another way to put them in writing is to jot them down in some sort of “notes” app on your smartphone or tablet. That way, even if you don’t have them in writing, they’re still easily accessible.
10 Inspirational Quotes for Caregivers
Write down these quotes to get you through your next 10 days of caring for the elderly:
- “The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety” (George E. Mueller).
- “An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered” (G.K. Chesterton).
- “What happens to a person is less significant than what happens within him” (Louis L. Mann).
- “Mountains cannot be surmounted except by winding paths” (Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe).
- “Be determined to handle any challenge in a way that will make you grow” (Les Brown).
- “One person caring about another represents life’s greatest value” (Jim Rohn).
- “The greatest discovery of my generation is that man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude” (James Truslow Adams).
- People who fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes” (Abigail Van Buren).
- “Conceal a flaw, and the world will imagine the worst” (Marcus Valerius Martial).
- “About the only thing that comes without effort is old age” (Source unknown).
These quotes are meant for a quick “pick me up” during the particularly trying moments. They are not a clinical aid for caregiver depression, so be sure to keep tabs on where you stand emotionally.
While caring for the elderly is one of the most trying experiences you’ll ever have, it’s also one of the most rewarding ones. The only way to get to the rewards is to work through the trials, so always keep the “why” in mind and the motivations to get there close at hand.