Elder care never ends. It’s a 24/7/365 job that can suck you dry. If you’re not vigilant about recharging your batteries and scheduling some “me time”, you run the risk of caregiver burnout.  Share your ideas for small indulgences and affordable luxuries that can help us get through the day.

Tea Time
It doesn’t get any simpler than this. When things get absolutely crazy, I have tea time. I break out the good china and silver, put on a classical CD, prepare some finger sandwiches, buy some fancy cookies at the store, and brew some Earl Grey tea. Even just 15 minutes indulging the senses, creating some quiet time that’s all about me, helps me get centered. Maybe it’s because I’m Irish, and we always had tea at dinner instead of coffee. Or maybe it’s because I love the old, beat-up teapot that I inherited from my Grandma. Lots of good memories every time I brew in it. Cheap. Easy. Fast. And it works for me.

Meditation Corner
I’m a complete cynic, but I read about this, tried it, and have become an absolute devotee of meditation. At least my own version of meditation. I literally used two bookcases to create a quiet corner in my bedroom, bought some Kitaro and other New Age-style CDs heavy on the strings, a ton of religious candles in various sizes, and built a stairstep little altar with things that are pleasing to the eye and calming to the spirit like a Berber carving of a woman in sandstone, a colored glass bottle, framed piece of art and a smooth beach pebble from vacation. Whatever things calm you when you touch them or look at them. I also have pillows I can kneel or sit on and an incense burner. I’ll turn the lights off, light the candles and incense, put on the music, rub the stone, stare at the art or into the flame and think about the things I’m grateful for in life, the people I love and what I can do for them. Totally gets me out of that downer, me-focus. Even my youngest child knows that this is Mommy’s space and to leave me alone when I’m there.