Burnout has been on my mind a lot lately, and that's saying a lot since my burnout brain has trouble focusing these days. Between working from home while raising two young kids and traveling back and forth across the country to spend time with a sick loved one, I've felt stretched in more directions than I thought possible. I know many of you can relate to the constant push to keep going even when your body and mind are begging for rest.
Dinner table conversations in my house weren't typical. My grandmother was a nurse, my mom was a respiratory therapist, and my stepdad was an EMT. We often talked about the medical emergencies they'd seen that day, but I liked hearing their stories. Still, I didn't want to get into medicine myself, so I went to culinary school after high school. Then, I joined my local volunteer fire department, and realized I liked the adrenaline of the work. By 24, I was a full-time EMT.
Sometimes, the symptoms occur quite late into the evening, said Dr. Victor Diaz, a neurologist at Orlando Health Neuroscience Institute. Approximately 1 in 5 people with dementia experience sundowning. It affects people with different forms of dementia, like Alzheimer's and Lewy body dementia, Diaz said. "Episodes can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, and in some cases, can extend into the night."
Signs she's avoiding or preparing to avoid me - I open the door off my dining room, call down, Mom, and she doesn't answer, even though I heard her moving around moments ago. She texts two-letter replies, such as OK and no. She locks the door off the dining room. She takes out her trash before sunrise. She stops feeding the squirrels and birds. She keeps her lights off. She keeps her phone off. She stacks cardboard boxes in the laundry room or garage or on the deck.
Paper Bag Plan: Oakland native Anthony Lucero's exceptional follow-up to his indie sweetheart East Side Sushi will likewise melt hearts and sooth aching souls. Lucero's beautiful film is filled with empathy, insight and compassion as functioning alcoholic dad Oscar (Lance Kinsey, giving one of the most graceful performances of the year) seeks ways to make his quick-witted 25-year-old disabled son Billy (Cole Massie, in a phenomenal performance) more self-sufficient due to his own dire health diagnosis.
The treatment cycle was relentless and he spent most of the time bedridden, so while he slept I wrote this song for him. It's been challenging to find the space to be creative since cancer came into our lives, but I knew this song would make Winston smile and that was motivation enough. Collaborating with Pearson Sound made this track exciting too because listening to his music has always been a serotonin rush.
When my wife became seriously ill and suddenly needed round-the-clock care at home, my world turned upside down. I've spent years juggling the demands of a college professor, running a business, and making tough decisions under pressure. But caring for someone I love tested me in ways I never could have anticipated. No lesson, conference, or boardroom meeting prepared me for the reality of caregiving -yet, in so many ways, that experience called on every skill I'd built as an entrepreneur and professor.
By design, caregiving is an imbalanced relationship. We often understand this logically before stepping into the role, yet the constant giving can come at the expense of our own health and well-being. Without conscious effort, many caregivers find themselves depleted, burned out, or even resentful-emotions that intensify when they don't feel seen or supported. That's where boundaries come in. Boundaries are the limits we set-both internally and externally-to protect our well-being and maintain balance in relationships.
Nearly 30 years ago, we went on a vacation with my two little boys to Sanibel Island. We chose a pizza place because, why not? But the pizza they served was, of course, different from our pizza at home. I remember watching with dismay as my oldest son, Nat, who has fairly profound autism, took a bite, scrunched up his face, and said, "Vacation" with angry tears in his voice.
She is currently dealing with serious health issues related to endometriosis. This condition not only affects her physically but has also taken a toll on her emotional well-being. I've been as supportive as possible. I've attended doctor's appointments with her, am helping manage her medications, and have taken on additional responsibilities to lighten her load. I want to be there for her, and I care about her comfort and happiness.
Cruzer’s video emphasizes the emergence of 'helicopter daughters' who feel compelled to oversee their parents’ well-being in their aging years. The humor underscores a real stress over health as family roles flip.
