Caring for the Caregiver: A Wellness Planner Printable

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This wellness planner printable is more than just a notebook. It is designed specifically to help caregivers prioritize their own health and well-being.

NOTE: This post has been updated since it was originally published on March 2, 2023.

This wellness planner printable is more than just pages in a notebook. It is a compassionate companion for caregivers, designed specifically for those who give so much of themselves.

Caregiving is a profound act of love but it can also be emotionally and physically challenging. It is easy to overlook our health while caring for others.

Putting our health on the back burner while we care for loved ones will eventually catch up to us, and could affect both our physical and mental health.

As a nurse, caregiver, and health coach, I created this tool not to add more tasks to your already overflowing caregiver plate, but rather it is a gentle invitation to pause, reflect, and take care of your own health and well-being.

Through carefully designed pages that explore life goals, personal awareness, and health, this planner printable helps us learn about ourselves beyond just being a caregiver.

This caregiver wellness planner is a safe space to view and acknowledge strengths and challenges, while also guiding us to prioritize our overall health and well-being.

The Hidden Health Journey of Caregivers

Being a caregiver can be a wonderfully rewarding role, creating bonds with loved ones that last forever. However, it can also take its toll both physically and mentally.

Here are some caregiver health concerns to be mindful of.

• General health. Caregivers report their health has worsened since providing unpaid care for their loved ones.
• Depression. Caregiver depression often increases as their loved ones’ function level declines.
• Physical strain. Almost half of all caregivers report concern over the physical strain that comes with caregiving.
• Emotional strain. 44% of caregivers are concerned about the emotional strains of caregiving.
• Chronic conditions. 53% of caregivers are diagnosed with two or more chronic conditions. According to the CDC, that is 14% higher than the general population.
• Health score. Only 4 out of 10 caregivers rate their health as “excellent” or “very good.”

These statistics are not meant to intimidate you but to illuminate the critical importance of caring for your own health.

I understand that prioritizing self-care can feel overwhelming when you are responsible for a loved one’s well-being, especially given the limited hours in the day.

The Caregiver Wellness Planner is your guide to prioritizing your health. It is designed to help you understand your goals, explore the reasons behind them, and take small meaningful steps toward your personal wellness.

Your health is important, and it is never something to be put on the back burner.

Beyond a Traditional Planner: A Caregiver Wellness Companion

Many wellness planners are just regular daily calendar planners with perhaps a few journal pages added in. This planner is different. The focus is on you, the caregiver, your health, and your own personal wellness goals.

Often, when people are planning their day, they create a huge to-do list and have unrealistic expectations of getting it all done.

There is no motive behind all of the tasks they’ve written down, other than the anxious thought that they need to get every single one of the items on their list done that day.

Even self-care routines that we know are beneficial fall to the wayside because we don’t truly understand the deeper motivations behind our actions – or inaction.

This wellness planner provides so much more than the standard to-do list. It allows for deep personal reflection, starting with a personal inventory of where you sit in terms of your own wellness goals.

While digital planners have their place, there’s something about putting pen to paper.

I like physically writing things down, seeing my thoughts on the page, and using different colored pens to bring my ideas to life.

The fact that this planner can be printed out and transformed into a tangible document is wonderful and satisfying. It offers a personal, hands-on connection that digital tools can miss.

The Wellness Planner Printable: Details and Components

The Caregiver Wellness Planner is a ten-page printable document, designed so you can print out as many or as few pages as you wish.

Some pages, such as the life goals page, will only need to be printed out perhaps once per year.

While other pages, like the daily planner and journaling pages, can be printed out to have enough for a day, week, month, or even the entire year if you prefer.

Here are some of the page details within the planner.

Life Goals Page. Reflects on life categories, and identifies areas of strength and areas of growth.

Wheel of Life Assessment. The aim is to create balance across life domains, and a visual representation of personal wellness.

Self-Awareness Section. Research and discover personal motivations, and understand core values and drivers.

Self-Care Planning Tools. Helps with weekly goal setting and provides habit development strategies.

Tracking and Reflection Pages. Habit tracking, mood monitoring, along with daily journaling pages.

The Caregiver Wellness Planner is a self-care journal and can be put to personal use every single day.

All of the pages are printable, undated pages, so you can use this planner every new year, and print out the planner pages over and over again.

Supporting Caregivers: How the Wellness Planner Makes a Difference

The wellness planner printable is more than just a tool – it is a companion guide designed to support caregivers on their unique journey.

By providing a structured approach to self-reflection, this planner creates. a safe space to explore personal needs and goals.

The wellness planner encourages mindful self-care, helping to reconnect with oneself beyond the caregiver role.

Inviting caregivers to pause, reflect, and prioritize their own well-being. Reminding them that their health and personal growth are not just important but essential.

Caregiver Wellness Planner: Your Personal Journey

I hope this Caregiver Wellness Planner printable helps, and reminds you to take a moment to breathe and think about your own personal health.

Caregiving is beautiful and challenging all at the same time, and it is easy to forget about taking care of ourselves.

When we start paying attention and taking care of our health, we begin to feel more energized, and better equipped to take care of the ones we love.

This Caregiver Wellness Planner is a gentle reminder that your health matters. So grab your planner below, a cup of coffee, and start mapping out your road to wellness today!

Let’s Connect

I hope you enjoyed this article, and you get your Caregiver Wellness Planner today.

As a caregiver, you give so much to others, and this is a gentle invitation to refill your own cup.

Self-care is not selfish. When we take care of ourselves, we are better able to serve others.

NOTE. After you’ve downloaded your Caregiver Wellness Planner, let me know how you like it, and how you are best using your planner.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you.

VIDEO: How I Use My Caregiver Wellness Planner

Additional Caregiver Resources to Enjoy

• 10 Healthy Green Smoothie Guide
• Caregiver Wellness Guide
• 5 Day Rejuvenation Diet and Guide
• Bible Verses for Caregivers Printable

More Caregiver Support and Healthy Recipes

Thank you for sharing