These warm summer months present a time when we feel a bit more relaxed. It is a time to slow down- even while working. When we look at travel ads and see photos of people having fun, caregivers may have a reluctance, actual dislike, or even a fear of vacations.

People sometimes build up months of vacation time because unstructured time off is something few of us allow ourselves. Time alone, without socially approved purpose, spent on nurturing the self is something caregivers usually need to give themselves permission to enjoy.

In Anne Morrow Lindbergh's book Gift From The Sea she states,"It is not physical solitude that actually separates one from others, not physical isolation, but spiritual isolation. It is not the desert island nor the stony wilderness that cuts you off from the people you love; it is the wilderness in the mind, the desert wastes in the heart through which one wanders lost and a stranger. When one is a stranger to oneself than one is estranged from others too."

When finding ways to reconnect with yourself nurture your inner spiritual being. Simple answers often work the best. Take time off without fear. Plant a garden, play music, make jam, walk by a pond, try flower arranging or take naps. Do the things you may have enjoyed long ago. Do something new and different to enhance your inner peace. Give to yourself, you are worth it.