jenny cares 

The Right Mantra for Your Type click here(Annie B. Bond)

The Right Mantra for Your Type click here(Annie B. Bond)

The Value of a Mantra click here (Deepak Chopra)

To eat mindfully is to live in the present.
It calls for paying attention to every act, every sensation and perception, for its own sake, in the moment. From the start to the finish of your meal, your intention is to link the moments together into a continuous stream of sensory awareness.
Some suggestions:
 Be mindful. To become focused, become silent and breathe in a relaxed manner. Choose a time when you’re not hurried or distracted by other things.
Visualize the meal. Become focused in your mind’s eye on what you’re going to prepare, its appearance, aroma, ingredients, etc.
Plan the meal. Mentally focus on all the steps involved in preparing the meal. Will you prepare it? For whom will you prepare it? What will you make?
Prepare the meal. Be mindful of the action of washing the food, such as vegetables you may be preparing for a fresh salad. Notice yourself reaching for the refrigerator door, and other preparation activities.
Set the table. The table on which you eat can be as sacred as the rest of the meal. Create a table that is inviting, for both you and the food.
Serve the meal. Be mindful of each action associated with serving the meal: selecting dishes and utensils, setting the table, bringing food to the table, etc.
Eat the meal. As with the Zen monastic meal, be mindful of each aspect of the food you’re eating. To begin consider saying words of thanks or appreciation for the food. Savour the aroma of the food by inhaling deeply.
Clean up. Regard this as a sacred process, too. It is just as important a part of the meal as the other phases.
Digest the food. After you’ve eaten, be aware of how the food feels in your stomach, how you are feeling. Are you aware that you overate? Under-ate? Are you still hungry, or ate just the right amount?
From start to finish and throughout the dining process, continue to witness the effects of having prepared, eaten, and digested the meal.
For in the witnessing lies the essence of life itself.
       ===============================
Adapted from A Mindfulness Meal Meditation, by Veronica, selected from Intent.com Care2's Healthy & Green Living.
Reference: Feeding the Body, Nourishing the Soul by Deborah Kesten.
Deborah Kesten, MPH, Certified Health and Wellness Coach, nutritionist for reversing heart disease through lifestyle changes without drugs or surgery, and Director of Nutrition on similar research in Europe. Author of The Enlightened Diet, Feeding the Body, Nourishing the Soul, and The Healing Secrets of Food. Visit her at www.Enlightened-Diet.com .

As I commenced this blog about Carers, my own carer arrived to help me shower.
I asked Maria about her weekend. It turns out that Saturday was the anniversary of the day she arrived in Australia nearly  40 years ago. Each year she celebrates by giving herself a treat. No one else is necessary to complete or to witness this reward, which I think is lovely. It shows how complete she is in herself. This year she made herself a nice meal and mixed up a drink of wine and fruit... lunch and punch! And of course music. Her face lit up as she told me about the special attention she had given herself.
.

.
Caretakers, Reward Yourself
.[link to original Care2 article]
.Many of us spend a large percentage of time taking care of others: our children, grandchildren and elderly members of the family. We also have responsibilities to our partners, our pets and if we work, our bosses. AND if we are in our own business, we are responsible to the entire staff and the clients we serve. Sometimes as we wade through all our responsibilities we forget to be responsible for ourselves. In our exhaustion we eat and drink things that are not good for us, and do not find the time to exercise and relax.
As caretakers we must realize that we are just as important as those we care for.
.
.
BE A SUCCESSFUL CARER
.
Resist the temptation to be a hero.
.If you find yourself talking about how you are taking a problem on your shoulders with no one’s help, this is a clue that you are not managing the situation well. And some of us subconsciously like to be the hero so that people will think well of us or feel sorry for us. Do not play the role of the hero.
--Talk to members of the family and insist that everyone do their fair share of the work.
And if you are in a situation where there is no family to help you, then...
--Inquire within your community to find out what public services may be available to you. 
Do not let pride keep you from asking for help when you need it. Divide the work. Get help.
.
Reward yourself each day.
.
It is amazing how far a little self respect can go. If you respect yourself, you will find a way to get some pleasure out of each day, even the toughest of days. Rewards do not always have to be expensive or fattening! For instance, on your way to take care of a chore that is not particularly pleasant, you might stop someplace for five minutes to gaze at a beautiful site such as a pond, a garden of flowers or a sunset. Or you might keep a favorite book of poetry in your car, and take three minutes to read one of your favorite poems.
Taking several minutes to refresh yourself can make all the difference.
As you reward yourself, you will be uplifted and ready to take on whatever tasks await you. If you do not reward yourself, you will be resentful, unhappy and exhausted.
.
Perhaps when we are making out our lists of what we need to do each day, we can add “reward myself.”
.
Posted in Care2's  by Megan, written by psychic medium and inspirational author Carole Lynne
www.carolelynne.com ..[link to original Care2 article]
..............................................................
MORE ADVICE FOR CARERS:
.
There is a wealth of information for carers (caretakers, caregivers) on the internet. Here are a couple:
.
If you live with Chronic Pain, know someone who does, or know a carer, encourage them to visit thepainproject.org, be counted and join a community of Australians who want to make their struggle with pain visible.
.
Alert Card for Carers
I think this is a good idea; the carer keeps this alert card on their person in case of accident.
From Kingston Council, UK
The Carers' Alert Card is crucial in preparing for the unexpected, and for working out a back up plan. The alert card gives the contact details of one or two people who would be willing to take their place in an emergency and/or the appropriate Community Services team to be contacted.
 [link to news article]
.