What do people like about your personality? Are you fun-loving or organized? Do you see the glass half-full or half-empty? Do you tell it like it is or mince words? Do you like to speak on behalf of others or prefer to listen to what they say? Do you know how to act when the physician walks in the room?
While Helen was telling the ER doctor about her medical complaints, her daughter, Joan, was sitting in the corner reading her book. At one point, the doctor caught Joan glaring at her mother with a look that could kill. Her eyes conveyed that it was time for her mother to die if she was so miserable. Misery loves company. Yet your personality informs you about how miserable you want to be as a caregiver.
Like Joan, you are not required to be someone different while being a caregiver. You may have been chosen to care for your loved one by default, but why not make the best of the situation instead of being upset? You might question, “Why is this happening to me? Why am I called to be a caregiver?” This “why” suggests that you have the personality for it Your “why” is what makes you step up and be recognized as the best person for the job.
Joan was stuck between a rock and a hard place – the rock of needing to be a disciplinarian and the hard place of her mother aging. Her only option was to polish the rock through “romancing the stone.” You romance the stone through three aspects of your personality.
- Be receptive
You are who you are. This stone-cold fact can be either rejected or accepted. Most caregivers believe they need to be careful about what they say and do. They might feel as though they’re walking on eggshells, trying to not upset their patients’ medical conditions. You, however, have very little to do with your patient’s illness. Your patient has a right to his or her own feelings and you have a right to have yours. Your best intention is to be yourself.
The hard facts of a loved one facing death and dying are devastating. Sometimes it feels as if little stones are being hurled at you. Other times the big boulder is rolling toward you. You may not see the rocks at first, but then they hit you like a personal assault. More than likely, you’ll become angry. You work hard to shore up your loved one and then experience rockslides.
Be receptive to softening your anger through your personality. Everyone has a soft side to his or her personality. A gentle, generous and passive part of one’s nature. When the going gets tough for your patient, you can either get tough or soften up. Most caregivers are romantics at heart. Using this part of your personality allows you to become less angry.
- Be romantic
Romance opens the door to your being creative. It permits you to fall in love and be fascinated with a person, place or thing. This enthusiasm is generally short-lived, but will often stay with you for a lifetime. The love that exists in caring for another will wax and wane. The task of caregiving may last three months or three decades. You need to make the most of it if you intend to walk away from the situation feeling blessed by the experience.
Romancing the stone is like polishing a stone and making a gem out of it. Or taking a plot of land and making a garden out of it. This doesn’t happen by accident. It takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears. No one expects it to be easy, yet your personal satisfaction during the process is paramount. You need to feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.
With each thrown stone of something bad happening, you can sculpt it into something good. Your “why” becomes purposeful. Your personality allows “the stone that the builder rejected to become the cornerstone.” Your personality can allow you to see the future in a positive light. That stone at your feet might be the beginning of a new foundation.
- Be resolved
Your being firmly determined to do something stems from your personality. Being a go-getter or laid- back is an attribute of your personality. This encircles you like a fortress. It prevents you from being influenced or susceptible to outside forces. It’s your best defense against fear.
You prevent fear from getting the best of you by not giving it attention. Your best defense is to stop worrying about what might happen. The foundation of caregiving is not to care too much. Don’t be afraid of what happens, but realize how to use your personality when the situation with your loved one takes a turn for the worse.
Resolve to have strength under fire. Use the best part of your personality to allow you to cope. Many people find humor to see them through. Others tend to dance around illness. Still others are more matter of fact. Whatever speaks to your nature is what makes you an authentic caregiver. Resolve to let your personality shine though as you care for others.
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