WHERE WE TALK ABOUT CAREGIVING, PART TWO
Are you there?
Yes, we are here.
Today, I’d like to continue our conversation on caregiving. Last time, towards the end of our post, you talked about using the caregiving experience as a means of making decisions about our own health. Could you go over some of that again?
At the heart of the caregiving situation, as in all situations that you create for yourself on the physical plane, there is always a question: Is this what I want or do I want to create something different for myself as I continue to move along my own path? There is no disrespect in viewing another’s health choices as a means of assisting yourself in making choices about your own health. After all, that is what the decision-making process is all about on the physical plane. That is what diversity is all about. Diversity provides you with the opportunity to view and experience all different types of experiential possibilities and from the array of choices, make your own decisions about what YOU would like to experience. As you have already discovered, the experience of caregiving is an excellent opportunity for understanding and managing your own emotions, which is an essential part of remembering who you really are and why you have come.
How exactly can caregiving provide us with the opportunity to remember who we really are and why we have come?
You are a creative being, are you not? And emotions are an essential part of the creative process. It is very difficult, for example, to consciously create what you desire from a place of fear or anger or resentment. Creation comes from a place of peace, of love, a place of joy. As we have said before, only by experiencing those emotions that hold a low, fear-based frequency can you truly understand what it means to experience those emotions that reside in the higher frequencies, emotions like love and joy. Caregiving allows you the opportunity to once again experience the contrast of light and dark that is such an integral part of the human journey.
Caregiving also provides us with the opportunity to become quite lost in those lower-frequency emotions that you’re talking about, especially if you’re not very good at managing emotions like anger and fear.
Often times, in situations where you are dealing with an individual that you are close to and care a great deal for, you may find yourself unknowingly repressing the emotions that are arising, like frustration or irritation with the situation that you find yourself in, hiding those emotions out of respect for the individual in your care or because you feel, as you said in our previous conversation, a certain guilt in even experiencing these types of emotions. At those times, it is important to keep your awareness high so that you do not allow these feelings to build up in your system and cause an emotional overload. For example, you may find yourself, when asked by others how you are doing, saying things like “Oh, I’m fine. Really I am. Everything is OK. Yes, things are hard, but I’m doing OK. It’s a pretty stressful time, but I’m coping.” If you find yourself in denial about your emotions, chances are you are repressing them. And if that is the case, you may discover that you are attracting other situations – a driver on the freeway cuts you off, a long line appears at the pharmacy counter, your lunch order arrives incomplete – that trigger emotions like the anger and frustration that you are repressing. If you find that you are attracting more and more stressful situations that trigger low-frequency emotional responses, it is time to stop and take a look at where these repressed emotions originate. Chances are, they are rooted in the care that you are providing for another and the frustration, irritation or anger that you are repressing is seeking expression through alternative situations, situations that may seem unrelated, but which you are creating specifically for the purpose of release. All emotions need expression and will always seek release of some kind. If you cannot find a way to release them without acting them out in some way, they can lead to a more dysfunctional sort of expression such as pain or disease within your physical form, and that is not the kind of choice you want to make for yourself, especially in a situation where you are caring for another. So let the air out of them, so to speak, before they have a chance to erupt in ways that satisfy no one and lead only to more conflict.
I hear what you’re saying, but that’s often easier said than done for us humans. You mentioned the risk of emotional overload. I have known many health-care workers who suffer from what is known as burnout. How can we, as personal caregivers, avoid that same kind of burnout?
Burnout is nothing more than the accumulation of unreleased emotion in your energy field and it can occur under a variety of circumstances. Most human persons have not yet learned during their time on the physical plane how to efficiently process and release emotional energy, especially energy which is intense or feels unpleasant. As you are aware, the tendency for most humans is to follow the example of those who have come before, which means that many times, low-frequency emotions are repressed or denied as a means of avoiding them. If you are not processing your emotions, keeping them buried inside due to fear of one sort of another – you do not wish to embarrass yourself or others; you are afraid you will be overwhelmed by their intensity; you are simply not adept or experienced enough at expressing your emotions – they will build up within your energy field and, if not relieved, will eventually cause your emotional system to essentially shut down. That is what you would refer to as burnout. This is especially true in cases where you are confronted on a daily basis by fear-based emotions with little or no opportunity for expressing or releasing them, even by acting them out in alternative situations. The solution is to stay present with your emotions and do whatever you can to process and release them as frequently as you can. Give them your loving attention and make their expression a priority, for without emotional stability, you cannot properly care for anyone, even yourself.
Obviously, it’s important in the caregiving situation to do everything we can to take care of ourselves, especially when it comes to our emotions. Before we end out conversation, tell us what more we can do for the benefit of the person we’re caring for?
Look for positive aspects in the caregiving experience. All experiences, no matter how dark or dire, contain elements that are beneficial. You simply need to seek them out. In the case of your mom, remind yourself that, despite her physical limitations, she is still a vital and loving human being. Her mind is clear, her heart is strong, and all of her practical concerns, such as her finances and her living arrangements, are well provided for. And bear in mind that you are not alone. Not only are your three siblings in close proximity to your mom and can provide her with everything that she needs, even in case of an emergency, but you also have access to the power of the entire Universe to assist you in whatever is necessary to provide the best possible outcome for everyone involved. Above all else, love the one that you are caring for. Be kind and forgiving, no matter what arises. Otherwise, your experience will be a miserable one. Share your love with them, but do not smother them with more attention than they need or desire. That is paramount. Bear in mind that even those who are dealing with compromised health issues are still creators like yourself. As difficult as it may be for many to accept, every human person creates their own level of health by either allowing or disallowing the flow of Source energy. This means that, in the highest sense, each of you is responsible for the well-being of your own physical form, even your mom. This is not to say that it is ever appropriate to blame another for the situation they have created for themselves in. Most illness or disease is created from an unconscious stance and that is something that you need to allow and respect. Instead, send the one you are caring for as much light and love as you can. Allow what you see, and at the same time, hold a vision of health and well-being for the one in your care. Follow the example of Jesus Christ. In all situations where help was needed, Jesus did not so much heal as hold an image of perfect health and well-being within his own mind and project that image outward. The force of his intention was so strong, his belief in the natural health of every human person so pure, that no individual could help but allow his energy to influence their own, which in turn facilitated their healing. This is something that you or anyone else can do as well. All it takes is belief in your own innate power to heal. You do not have to be a professional energy healer to send light and love to one who is in need of physical or emotional healing. It simply requires a strong intention on your part. This will assist others in using their own connection to the energy of Source to bring about a healing effect.
Is there anything else you’d like to say on this topic before we close?
Throughout this process of caregiving, do what you can to remain focused upon your life purpose, to use the experience to remember who you really are and why you have come. That goal, that intention, stands behind everything that you create on the physical plane. EVERYTHING. So do not use your mom’s condition, or the condition of anyone else you come in contact with, regardless of your relationship to them, as an excuse to disconnect from who you really are. Take responsibility for your own feelings, whatever they may be, and look to your own natural ability to process them. Contrary to what most human persons might believe, caring for another individual, with all of its challenges, is an excellent way of increasing your awareness of what is actually happening beneath the surface of your life, what is really going on within your own energy field. Caregiving provides you with an emotional reality that is almost too vivid, too present to ignore, so use whatever is happening right in front of you, no matter how tough the circumstances may seem, to return your focus to who you really are and why you have come. Love who you are, love those around you, and especially love what arises, for therein lies the path of your own awakening.
These conversations on caregiving have been very helpful for me and I hope they’ll do the same for others who find themselves in similar situations.
We are confident that they will. Until next time.
Thank you all.
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