I think that one of my biggest challenges as a CarePartner is not understanding when to stop. I know that my priority needs to be caring for my husband, but then what? How does taking care of the house, the lawn, the world outside fit into the role? We were a 50-50 team, now it seems like more of an 80-20 at best, how do I adjust to this new reality? And what happens when it is all on me, will I be able to handle it?

Which brings me back to my original thought, I will appreciate what is good and ignore what is bad. I really need to learn to ignore those negative thoughts that come into my head, the ideas that I have to do everything and that it has to be as good as my husband did it or I am failing. I need to remember that no one else expects me to do it all, so why do I think I can?

If I can prioritize the things that really need to be done, evaluate how our day is going, and then choose my actions mindfully, I will be able to do what needs to be done, and can let the rest go. If at that same time, I can ignore those nagging thoughts telling me I should be doing more, then I can do it all with a smile on my face. Life will be more fun and more fulfilling if I just learn to listen to the positive voices in my head and tell the negative ones to take a hike.