I
’d like to offer a recommendation for a simple technique that really worked to relieve my stress, not only during my years as a caregiver, but also during my widowhood.
It’s a technique I came up with on my own, and it wasn’t until several years later that I learned that imagery is, in fact, a device often employed by practitioners of cognitive therapy.
I used it when I was obsessing over the kind of things caregivers and the bereaved generally obsess over: Am I doing — or did I do — the right thing? Why did I choose option A over option B? Why wasn’t I more patient/understanding/kind? What does the future hold?
Of course, some of these questions require soul-searching and demand answers. If we can come up with answers that will help us do better the next time we find ourselves in similar circumstances, we have no business ignoring them. But the questions I’m referring to are those that keep whirling around in our heads without any hope of resolution. Such thoughts drained my energy, made me feel miserable, and robbed me of the little sleep available to me.
