Carer Mentor's January Roundup
Resources for comfort, encouragement and curiosity in the face of uncertainty.
Hello, Dear Friends,
A small reminder that you can find the latest articles on the website landing page. Alternatively, see a list of the recent articles through my profile page.
There is always something new each week, with over 260 articles on the website. It contains resources, anthologies of diverse experiences, evidence-based insights, and caregiving hacks and tips.
“Heartfelt empathy for Caregivers. A dynamic hub of resources and insights. A portal of hope and a community network. 'Human-ing' with a lot of ❤️.”
If you’re new to Carer Mentor, I recommend starting with this article: Who Started Carer Mentor and Why?
This January Round-up Newsletter Contains:
Curious to thrive series - ‘right-sizing thrive’ for caregivers.
World Lewy Body Dementia Day and Updates to the Dementia Anthology
A pivot away from ‘gated’, to an open Community Hub due to time constraints
‘The Letters from a Caregiver’ Winter Season collaboration continues.
The Winter Season of ‘Letters from a Caregiver.’ Life’s Tapestry: the nuances, choices, and caregiving despite the fear. By Victoria
‘Relearning Hope In A Time Of Darkeness’ By Victoria
‘You Published Your Book! And Now What?’ By Cindy Martindale
‘The Light We Carry’ By Victoria
‘The Gift Of Self-Compassion For The Caregiver’, by Amy Brown
“When the Waves Keep Coming: Trust Yourself” by Anna De La Cruz
“The Hardest Decision You Ever Made Was the Right One” By Tessa Shahid
The last four letters were in January. The next letter will be on February 12th.
Curious to thrive series. Right-sizing ‘thrive’ for caregivers
This is NOT a push towards any kind of toxic positivity or silver lining.
When our world has shrunk, and our choices are more limited, discovering small wins and joys can feel beyond reach. It’s hard to keep ourselves motivated.
The aim of this article series is to curiously explore what ‘thrive’ could be for each of us, and try to prompt ourselves for small wins.
The series started with a question:
“How do we live with uncertainty, angst and fear but not be caged by it when…..”
By brainstorming questions, we can ‘right-size’ and test what works for us.
So, the series offers you curiosities and discoveries that I’ve researched.
This is NOT about telling you what to do, or adding to your plate. Far from it. This offers you ideas you can assess for yourself, potential reframes, and food for thought.
I published these articles this month, so we have a growing ‘toolbox’ for 2026—to help us stay motivated and agile when things feel hard, slow, and uncertain.
Gritting our way through won’t get us very far
The brain depresses our motivation when it estimates that the effort required, exceeds the reward, especially when our predictive brain anticipates failure. We can push the gas pedal all the way to the floor, but the brain’s got its brake on.
For caregivers who repeatedly experience heartbreak and challenges, the habenula is highly active. No wonder it can feel like we’re walking through wet cement.
Three articles are about the habenula, the small brain structure that’s your motivation ‘kill switch’ and handbrake:
“Meet Your Habenula: Your Motivation ‘Kill Switch’. The Tiny Brain Circuit With a Big Impact.”
“Working With Your Habenula as a Caregiver” includes 30 ideas to try to weave into our day or reframe how we do things.
New books for new discoveries, ranked by long-term value
Here’s the Top Ten list of books I re-read each year. It’s a list I’ve kept since 2017, to discover new insights and ideas if my lens on the world has shifted, or simply to seek out the comfort of familiar insights.
Three new books have entered the top ten list.
When new ideas, evidence and discoveries are too time-consuming and effort-FULL, try mood shifters like Music!
The eleventh ComfortZone article: #11 This Caregiver’s Music: ‘A backbone of music to stabilise this year.’
Each year, I update a few playlists to stabilise, soothe, or shift my mood as the year ahead unfolds.
Throughout the year, I curate other playlists with new discoveries and motivators.
But these are the songs or classical pieces that serve as vertebrae, keeping me upright or moving. These make me feel more centred, and enable my head, heart and gut to align again.
Alternatively, distract your brain with TV/film recommendations from The ComfortZone
The Dementia Anthology. Articles By Dementia Caregivers and those Diagnosed with Dementia.
January 28th was World Lewy Body Dementia Day:
Go to the Lewy Body International Website here
I updated the Reference: Types of Dementia with new evidence from The Lewy Body Society and The National Institute for Health Research.
Pat Snyder (a caregiver whose husband suffered from Lewy Body Dementia) hosted Dr Trey Bateman on her YouTube channel last August. I highly recommend listening to her videos.
Anthologies that have been updated
Carer Mentor’s Community Hub: A dynamic space for Q&A and community networking is no longer gated
Last month, I started a ‘Community Hub’ housed on the Website (Desktop Web version of Carer Mentor).
Please note: I’m removing the paywall and ‘gate’ on this hub, and reducing the planned content, due to more time constraints moving forward. Apologies.
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