Caregiving and Ego

As a caregiver I have often wondered how ego falls into caregiving.  Since one of the definitions I found for ego is “a person’s sense of self-esteem or self-importance” that makes it an important piece of the puzzle.  I am only providing my own point of view of course and I am not an expert, but I am a caregiver.  I am also a certified compassion fatigue educator and conduct trainings on this topic in the U.S.  One of the most important pieces of being a caregiver is taking time to care for yourself.  My thought is this “if we don’t take time to care for ourselves, how then can we care for anyone else?”  Take a moment and look at your life what are you doing to make sure that your own health and welfare are being looked after?  What are you doing for yourself?  Ask yourself this question, “if I am so consumed in caring for those around me that I am neglecting my own needs is that truly sending the right message?”
In order for us to care for others around us we need to also pay attention to our own needs.  Are you getting the proper nutrition, sleep and exercise?  If the answer is no then what can you do to make a difference in these areas?  Take a small step today to help yourself so you in turn can care for those around you.  In conclusion, ego is not necessarily a bad thing. It reminds us that we are just as important as those we care for.  If we neglect our own needs we are doing a disservice to those we care for.  After all if something happens to us who will take care of them?
Judy Micale is a Business/Life & Wellness Coach, Author & Motivational Speaker for more information about her please see the following sites:
www.theauthenticitycoach.com, facebook.com/jmicalecoach, https://www.facebook.com/dailyinspirationsforcaregivers, follow her on twitter @jmicalecoach
And you can find her book “31 Daily Inspirations for Caregivers: One Day, One Breath, One Step at a Time”.