Zen Caregiving: How to Care for Yourself While Caring for Others

Summary

From the executive director of Zen Caregiving Project and creator of the Mindful Caregiving Education course comes a much-needed guide offering practical advice, emotional support, and a path to spiritual solace for the millions of undersupported caregivers in the US

Rosalynn Carter said, “There are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.” The past ten years have supported this observation, as the number of caregivers in the US has grown from 42 million to more than 53 million. With one in five American adults now in this role, many have found that they are emotionally and spiritually unprepared for the difficult and emotionally taxing task of caring for a seriously ill family member or patient.

As a caregiver himself, and executive director of Zen Caregiving Project, Roy Remer was inspired to write Zen Caregiving to help support the emotional burden many caregivers experience and to augment this essential component of our healthcare system. After developing the Mindful Caregiving Education (MCE) curriculum and teaching MCE courses for many years, Remer was motivated to share what he had learned and taught about mindfulness-based approaches to care.

Designed to be motivational, therapeutic, and practical, Zen Caregiving covers:

• the four components of the Zen approach to caregiving—mindfulness, compassion, loss literacy, and self-care

• how to quiet the “thinking mind” to find solace and stay grounded

• methods and approaches for expanding compassion and avoiding burnout

• the value of grief and processing loss

• practical advice for preparing medical directives and end-of-life arrangements

• how to create intimacy with oneself to prioritize self-care one breath at a time

Zen Caregiving is an essential resource for those in need of spiritual guidance and emotional support as they navigate the often turbulent and uncharted waters of caring for a loved one.