Wish I Knew

Caregiving can be lonely, no matter what stage you're at. Millions of people worldwide struggle with caring for loved ones while still trying to care for themselves. You don't need to learn about caregiving all on your own. In Caregiving Insights, author Lise Leblanc has compiled brief stories and lessons from experts in the field and people just like you who have been caregivers themselves. Focusing on what other caregivers have learned, from setting boundaries and self-care to being vulnerable and taking time to listen, the short stories in Caregiving Insights offer gentle advice from a trusted friend who has been there. Each story shines a light on just one facet of the process, so you can return to this book when your story begins to coincide.

What kind of caregiver are you? The Doormat? The Fighter? The Judge? What if you knew which style would be best for your own health and the health of your loved one? It is THAT important to decide now... on the way IN to the caregiving journey, one that often begins abruptly. Lise Leblanc carefully constructs a step by step, easy to absorb plan for working through the illness of a loved one. As a therapist she has seen the exhaustion and devastation this honourable role can cause, and she has also experienced caregiving first-hand in her own life. When she was a caregiver for her grandmother, Lise didn't know the things she knows now: who and how to ask for help, where and what to do when you run out of energy, love, and time, and especially when and how to take a break. Lise lived through her own journey and she chronicles how you can avoid the same mistakes as she writes in Wish I Knew: Conscious Caregivers Guide. Here are: concrete examples, self-assessment quizzes real-life stories, practical but quick exercises, insights and strategies. Wish I Knew: Conscious Caregivers Guide will provide the help you need to tackle the caregiving role and achieve optimum wellness for yourself and your loved one. This book is the ideal companion to other books in the 'Wish I Knew' series.

None of us want to experience the loss of a loved one, but the sad reality is we've all experienced it, and it is certain that grief will come knocking many times throughout our lives. A psychotherapist for more than twenty years, Lise Leblanc has learned that we are rarely fully prepared for a loved one's death or our reaction to it. Like so many others, you may not know how to deal with the emotions, communication problems, and other complexities that arise in times of grief and loss. Although this book cannot take your suffering away, Conscious Grief & Loss Guide will provide you with deep insights and effective strategies. It will answer many of your questions while guiding you to achieve an optimum state of wellness throughout your grief journey. Lise carefully constructs a step-by-step, profound yet practical approach to help you understand your grief, assess your mental and emotional state, recognize your self-care needs, find helpful resources, and communicate productively during highly emotional and painful times. This book includes: -concrete examples -real-life stories -useful exercises -reflective questions -insights and strategies You may never be able to embrace grief with open arms, but perhaps you can learn to accept it as a necessary part of having the gift of loving someone who makes saying goodbye so difficult. This book is the ideal companion to other books in the "Wish I Knew" series.