Becoming YOUR Best with Jenny Lytle, RN

51. A widow's journey - Amy's story

- In this podcast episode, Jenny interviews Amy, who is involved with Widows' Purse, a support group for widows. - Amy describes how Widows' Purse has benefited her by providing a community of women who understand her story. - She highlights that most of the women in the group are younger and don't fit the stereotypical image of a widow. - Amy initially struggled to accept her widowhood and found it helpful to be surrounded by others who could relate to her experience, sometimes even before she fully understood her own emotions. - Sunah has personally helped Amy with various aspects of coping, including dealing with her children and seeking financial advice. - Amy encourages women who may be hesitant or unsure about joining the group to explore it and see what it has to offer, emphasizing that it is a safe and therapeutic space. - Jenny acknowledges that reaching out to strangers can be challenging, but emphasizes that Widows' Purse provides a welcoming environment with a diverse range of personalities and temperaments. - Amy shares her personal experience and offers valuable insights on what is helpful and not helpful during such a difficult time. They also highlight the significance of genuine support and utilizing the resources available within the community. Key Points: 1. Avoid Comparisons: - Each person's loss is unique, so avoid comparing your loss to theirs. - Instead, express empathy and offer condolences without diminishing their grief by saying things like, "I can understand how you feel" or "You'll be fine." 2. Be Mindful of Your Words: - Take the time to think before speaking, and avoid saying the first thing that comes to mind. - The best thing you can do is simply be there for the person, offering genuine support and a listening ear. - Avoid providing unsolicited advice or empty assurances that everything will be okay. 3. Practical Acts of Kindness: - Sometimes actions speak louder than words. Offer specific assistance, such as cleaning their house, running errands, or providing financial support. - These tangible gestures can be incredibly meaningful and show that you genuinely care. 4. Utilize Available Resources: - Reach out to friends, family, or members of the community who are willing to help. - Take advantage of their offers, as they genuinely want to be a source of support. - By allowing others to assist you, you are not hindering their blessings but helping them fulfill the biblical call to care for widows. Then Jenny and Amy discuss the surprising emotions and challenges Amy faced after becoming a widow. - Amy shares that she has always been a fearless person but experienced overwhelming fear after her husband's passing. - Amy talks about how she had to fight against the spirit of fear and remind herself that God has not given her that fear. - She mentions that she had to work through various emotions such as anger, jealousy, disappointment, loneliness, and anxiety. - Amy highlights the importance of counseling, support from the church community, friends, and family in helping her cope with these emotions. - Taking time off work after her husband's death and starting a new job also brought up fears, but she pushed through and overcame them. - Despite missing her husband's support and encouragement, Amy found that God helped her conquer her fear, allowing her to thrive in her new job and live without constant worry. - Jenny acknowledges how loss reminds people of their lack of control and the importance of appreciating everyday moments. - Amy emphasizes the need for a supportive community, turning to God, and continually working through fears and tough emotions. - The conversation concludes with Amy expressing gratitude for the determination she possesses and the support she receives from the Widows' Purse community. Check out the Widows' Purse Facebook group or you can email Sunah at widowspurse1@gmail.com for more information. Decrease your stress at https://www.jennylytle.com/guide [https://www.jennylytle.com/guide]

50. A widow's journey - Sunah's story

The word widow likely conjures up an image for you. But like most things, there is no 'one size fits all' when it comes to widowhood. Tune in for a raw, honest walk through the challenges and blessings that Sunah has been through, and the way that she feels led to help other women navigate through this as well. Not a widow? Me neither. But hearing from others can help us gain a new perspective, as well as teach us some things that are helpful (and some that are definitely not!) Check out the Widows' Purse Facebook page for more info, including upcoming events. Widows’ Purse helps widows validate the experience of grief, connect with community, and live with purpose. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087755784443⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087755784443] Widows’ Night Out are our time for FUN! in June, there are 2 (TWO) opportunities for fun! June 22, Thursday, at Hacienda (PLEASE SHOW THE WAIT STAFF THE DIGITAL TOKEN BEFORE YOU PAY) andJune 24, Saturday, at Foster Park. These Two (2) events are FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Please come out and have fun with us!. (Click on the flyer and it will expand to show details)Bring people who love to worship or just enjoy good music. Bring friends and family that love Star Wars for the silent auction item. Baseball fans should come and bid on the first pitch of the game and tickets. Dining packages for friends, family, or self from several favorite restaurants are being auctioned off. You can reach Sunah at Widowspurse1@gmail.com or on the Facebook page. ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087755784443⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087755784443] --------------------------- Stressed out but not sure how to change it? Decrease your stress in a week or less (even if you don't have much time or energy) Grab my free “7 Days to Less Stress guide” at https://www.jennylytle.com/guide [https://www.jennylytle.com/guide] and uncover the secret to less stress without a lot of effort. You’ll get: 1. The simple 3-step framework for quick and easy transformation 2. Discover how to have the BIGGEST impact the fastest. 3. Develop a customized plan to use on even your toughest days 4. Pull it all together in a simple weekly plan https://www.jennylytle.com/guide [https://www.jennylytle.com/guide] Until next time, take a deep breath or two and never stop becoming the best version of YOU!

49. Balancing our Hormones with Talida Voinea

Talida's own traumatic experience with birth control led her down a path of seizures, anxiety, and finally, to a place of peace and passion regarding hormonal health in women. What we put into our bodies matters. Tune in to learn more about hot flashes and the role phytoestrogens such as those in soy and flax can play - and what you need to know about cancer. Other great info: * What is the best way to incorporate flaxseed into your diet? * Tips for cyclical breast pain. * Gluten - I've been gluten-free for several years due to a non-celiac gluten sensitivity and I still learned so much! * FODMAPs * Gut microbiome * Intermittent fasting - do's and don'ts for women of reproductive age Talida is a 35-year-old mum from Australia. She is a certified fertility awareness educator with post-graduate studies in biomedical science focusing on nutrition science and reproductive endocrinology. Talida runs a plant-based food and women's health blog and Instagram page called Hazel & Cacao dedicated to educating women about plant-based nutrition and hormone balance. https://hazelandcacao.com/ [https://hazelandcacao.com/] https://www.facebook.com/hazelandcacao [https://www.facebook.com/hazelandcacao] https://www.instagram.com/hazel_and_cacao/ [https://www.instagram.com/hazel_and_cacao/] https://www.amazon.com/s?k=talida+voinea&crid=38CPZ34OT94S0&sprefix=talida+%2Caps%2C197&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_7 [https://www.amazon.com/s?k=talida+voinea&crid=38CPZ34OT94S0&sprefix=talida+%2Caps%2C197&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_7] -------------------------------------------- Stressed out but not sure how to change it? Decrease your stress in a week or less (even if you don't have much time or energy) Grab my brand new free “7 Days to Less Stress guide” at https://www.jennylytle.com/guide [https://www.jennylytle.com/guide] and uncover the secret to less stress without a lot of effort. You’ll get: 1. The simple 3-step framework for quick and easy transformation (pg.4) 2. Discover how to have the BIGGEST impact the fastest. (pg.10) 3. Develop a customized plan to use on even your toughest days (pg.13) 4. Pull it all together in a simple weekly plan (pg.17) https://www.jennylytle.com/guide [https://www.jennylytle.com/guide] Until next time, take a deep breath or two and never stop becoming the best version of YOU!

48. Dealing with Dementia with Marianne Sciucco

Marianne Sciucco is not a nurse who writes but a writer who happens to be a nurse, using her skills and experience to create stories that bear witness to the humanity in all of us. She writes contemporary, women's and young adult fiction.  Marianne is an author, co-founder and manager at AlzAuthors.com, the global community of authors writing about Alzheimer's and dementia from personal experience. A lover of words and books, she studied the craft of writing as an English major at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and worked for a time as a newspaper reporter in New England. She eventually became a registered nurse to avoid poverty.  With more than 20 years’ of experience as a staff nurse and case manager, she's worked with countless families dealing with issues related to aging, elder care, Alzheimer's, and nursing home placement. In 2002, she put the two together and began writing about the intricate lives of people struggling with health and family issues. She published her debut novel, Blue Hydrangeas, an Alzheimer's love story, in 2013 to glowing reviews.  This book led her to become a co-founder and director of AlzAuthors, the global community of authors writing about Alzheimer's and dementia from personal experience to light the way for others. She is the podcast producer and host of Untangling Alzheimer’s and Dementia, an AlzAuthors podcast. Visit AlzAuthors.com. She shares that a lot of the books are memoirs and the authors are raw and honest about their experiences, which can help others feel less alone in their struggles and well as pick up some tips and tricks for coping day-to-day. There are often resources shared as well, and some of the books are more of a caregiver guide. The resources available on the website are helpful because, in Marianne's words, "Many times people are isolated and they feel like they're alone because they don't know anybody or they think they don't know anybody else that's going through this situation. So when they read a book, somebody's story...say they're caring for their mom. They read a book about somebody else that has cared for their mom. It helps them see 'I'm not alone and this person has learned all of this stuff. And maybe I can try some of it, too' ... there's just a lot of trial and error in dementia care and what works one day may not work the next." Marianne talks about the importance of having a schedule when caring for someone with dementia, both for them and their care, but also to schedule in some time for your own self-care.  She then goes on to give tips about avoiding communication overwhelm by coming up with a system to keep friends and family in the loop without taking up huge amounts of time.  Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About Dementia... But Were Afraid to Ask, a Virtual Q&A  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eHEloVBTY4 https://alzauthors.com/ https://www.facebook.com/AlzAuthors/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/alzauthors/ https://www.instagram.com/alzauthors/ https://twitter.com/alzauthors https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLhTqQchoTUPk17w5oBEmjQ https://www.pinterest.ca/alzauthors/_created/ Follow Marianne on her blog MarianneSciucco.com, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. --------------------------- Stressed out but not sure how to change it? Decrease your stress in a week or less (even if you don't have much time or energy) Grab my brand new free “7 Days to Less Stress guide” at https://www.jennylytle.com/guide and uncover the secret to less stress without a lot of effort. https://www.jennylytle.com/guide Until next time, take a deep breath or two and never stop becoming the best version of YOU!

47. The Soul of Caregiving with Edward Smink Ph.D.

"The greatest gift I have as a caregiver is to see someone that I'm working with gain insight, like a light bulb goes on." "You don't have to like every person you deal with, you just have to be present to them." "In our culture. , we don't like the D-word -dying. Maybe years ago the physician would say to the family, "Mr. Smith, your mother isn't doing very well. In fact, she's dying, but I want you to know that I'm taking care of her and we're going to give her the best comfort care we can do. Today the doctor will say, "Your mother isn't doing well. What do you want me to do?" And so immediately, the family feels they're the ones causing the life and death of their loved one.  And the doctor has given up his authority to the family. And the family feels the burden of that. And so oftentimes I was with different families and they would say, "What's going on?" And I would say,  "What has the doctor told you?" "She's not doing very well." "What do you think is happening?" They may say, "I think they're dying." And I'm saying, "Yes, that's true. They are dying. And so what we're concerned about is how your mother will die. So that's why we bring up, and the doctor asked me to talk with you about it, do not resuscitate, because given her situation, it's going to be a futile exercise." "If you have children and they're hurting, what do they do? They run to their parent. And what does the parent do? The parent puts out their arms and holds them. In our culture today, caregivers need to know that they're the arms that hold the family in crisis. And so that's very important. . When people are in crisis, they don't know how to make decisions. . And so you have to help them, guide them to make the appropriate decisions. That's different than, 'oh, what do you want me to do?'" "The heart of being human is to care. So we're all caregivers." Three cultural taboos that I discovered were: 1. caregivers don't trust what's going on within themselves. 2. we don't communicate our story.  3. don't show your emotions Taking care of ourselves is about figuring out those little things that we can do. It's not about the big spa days and beach vacations, it's those things like getting enough sleep and, just pausing enough to say, what do I really need right now? Then doing what you can to make that happen.  Edward Smink, the founder of The Soul of Caregiving Coaching Practice, is an in-demand speaker, coach, and author of The Soul of Caregiving, A Caregiver’s Guide to Healing and Transformation. Edward holds an Associate Degree in Nursing from Newton Junior College, a BA in Psychology from Boston College, an MA in Counseling Psychology, a MA and  PhD in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. He is a former Registered Nurse, Healthcare Executive in Mission, Values, Spirituality, Ethics, End of Life Care, and Community Health. He holds titles as a Board-Certified Chaplain with the National Association of Catholic Chaplains and is an Associate Coach with the International Coaching Federation. Find out more and connect with Edward here: https://soulofcaregiving.com/why https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwardmphd/ https://www.facebook.com/soulofcaregiving https://twitter.com/smink_m ----------------------- Stressed out but not sure how to change it? Decrease your stress in a week or less (even if you don't have much time or energy) Grab my brand new free “7 Days to Less Stress guide” at https://www.jennylytle.com/guide [https://www.jennylytle.com/guide] and uncover the secret to less stress without a lot of effort. Until next time, take a deep breath or two and never stop becoming the best version of YOU!