You Want Me to Do What?: Journaling for Caregivers

by B. Lynn Goodwin

Over fifty million caregivers spend every spare minute driving to medical appointments, stopping at the pharmacy, cooking, answering questions, paying bills, and helping with matters that used to be... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1606962973
• ISBN13: 9781606962978
• Release Date: December 2008
• Publisher: Tate Publishing & Enterprises
• Length: 156 Pages
• Weight: 0.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.0" x 7.1"

Customer Reviews

A Lifeline for Caregivers

Asked "What do you need?" most caregivers would respond readily: rest; solitude; privacy; companionship; recreation; freedom from interruption, worry, frustration, anger, grief, depression. Author B. Lynn Goodwin, who spent seven years doing "Mom Care," says caregivers need a lifeline. In You Want Me to Do What?: Journaling for Caregivers, she offers that lifeline--journal writing. Referencing research done by Professor James W. Pennebaker and others into the effects of writing on the mind and the body, Goodwin says writing "heals wounds and enhances mental stability." "One of the simplest, most private places to write," says Goodwin, "is in a journal. It allows you to vent, delve into issues, and untangle messes. It lets you analyze or celebrate. It allows you to finish a thought without interruption. Journaling releases mental toxins and deepens awareness. It enables you to strip away the daily debris and let the strong, safe, sane, healthy, hopeful parts of you emerge." The guidelines Goodwin lays out are similar to those advocated by Julia Cameron, Natalie Goldberg, and others who teach writing as a practice: write daily for at least fifteen minutes ("a goal, not a mandate"), write about anything, write fast, don't stop, don't judge. What sets Goodwin's book apart is that it functions as a journal. Each of the core chapters contains approximately twenty-five pages of sentence prompts: "The truth is..."; "Today, I don't want..."; "I usually don't talk about..." Each prompt is followed by space for the caregiver to finish the sentence and continue the journal entry. Prompts are carefully sequenced. In line with Goodwin's advice to "start where you are," the caregiver begins with "Thoughts About Me," and then moves outward to "Thoughts About Caregiving," and "Thoughts About the One I Care For." Prompts allow the writer to describe challenges ("I feel burned out when...." ) as well as joys and rewards ("Today my best moments are..." ). Some prompts are specific ("I wish I didn't resent..."), while others are open-ended ("When..."). Some invite analysis of the complex relationship between caregiver and patient ("I have trouble telling you..."). Finally, in "Thoughts About Reclaiming Myself," Goodwin encourages the writer to look to a future beyond caregiving ("I promise myself..."; "My healing..."; "I am ready to explore..."). The author sets aside two blank pages for writers to compose their own sentence prompts. She ends by offering suggestions for turning entries into other formats, such as letters or essays, and for learning more about the writing process. You Want Me to Do What? is a small but powerful book. Telling the truth is hard. People in conflict, those on the edge of burn-out, may read about the healing power of writing but fail to follow through. Goodwin, by using a "workbook" format, provides an automatic transition from theory to practice, from reading to writing. It is exactly the right book for its target audience. In fac

Lovely Book for Caregivers to Vent with Pen

B. Lynn Goodwin's YOU WANT ME TO DO WANT? is truly a beautiful gift for anyone who is a caregiver. Whether the caregiver is a professional or a volunteer or a family member or a friend, he/she deserves safe space to vent and de-stress and rejuvenate. This book is a journal for caregivers, offering 200 sentence starts (such as "I don't like to brag, but..."). Venting and honoring the self and beneficiaries with pen.

A Little Golden Book for Caregivers

"You Want Me To Do What? Journaling for Caregivers" is about the same size as a little golden book and absolutely golden in the help it can give caregivers under stress. In the title of this book, the author anticipates the reaction that one might hear from a harried caregiver when told that journaling can be a life-giving aspect for successful healing. In all the daily hubbub--the comings-and-goings of one's regular duties in addition to the responsibility of caring for another--it is easy to forget to give attention to one's self. Written to appeal to someone who has never written or journaled before, this book will nonetheless find its place as a treasure on the shelves of experienced writers. There are prompts, and pages for notes and quotations. There is also hope, love, and--yes--caring. It may be the perfect dose of inspiration for a caregiver--experienced writer or not. ------ Vine reviewer Carolyn Howard-Johnson's first novel, This Is The Place, a book based on her own journals, won eight awards.

A Brilliantly Simple Concept

Lynn Goodwin has developed a brilliantly simple concept: a pocket-sized journal that allows overstressed caregivers to jot down their thoughts in pilfered moments: waiting in doctor's offices, sitting by hospital bedsides, or over a cup of tea at midnight. Her simple yet insightful writing prompts can help caregivers locate inner feelings that have long been pasted over with to-do lists. The journal exercises in this book allow caregivers to focus on themselves and their needs if only for a moment. And with that focus comes insight and understanding. As Goodwin writes in her introduction, journaling "can strengthen your relationship with yourself." Research shows that journaling can also relieve stress to help caregivers stay healthy. And, it doesn't take much time. Godwin asks her readers to give it 15 minutes a day. Even the most harrowed caregiver owes herself that much. I wish I'd had this book to give to my mother as she tended my father almost around-the-clock during the last four years of his life. I wish I'd had this book for myself as I flew back and forth across the country feeling guilty and helpless. Goodwin's writing prompts apply to anyone caught in the web of caring for a chronically ill friend or family member. I think the prompts - and the journaling process - could be equally beneficial to the patients as well. I highly recommend this book.

A Great Start

Caregivers are society's quiet sufferers. As sole supporters of an elderly parent, a disabled child, or other dependent, they sometimes struggle for years on end with the responsibilities of a nurse, therapist, provider, and friend. The result of such long-term self-sacrifice can range anywhere from depression to emotional exhaustion. As a former caregiver herself, B. Lynn Goodwin, author, Writer Advice website creator (http://www.writeradvice.com/index.html), and former teacher, understands the pressure of caring for a dependent family member. She knows the feelings of helplessness and rage associated with long-term caregiving. Where is the relief? With her new book You Want Me to Do What? Goodwin takes a hands-on approach to offering relief through journaling. Why journal? According to research conducted at universities across the country, Goodwin explains, journaling "reduces feelings of powerlessness. . . and enhances mental stability." For writers and non-writers alike, it can "heal wounds. . . and strengthen your relationship with yourself," while at the same time reducing stress and "opening up perspective." In this half how-to, half DIY handbook, Goodwin shows her readers how to find the words that won't come ("Look around the room for an image or sensory detail. . ."), and then gives them the benefit of prompts in order to jumpstart their entries. With sentence-starts such as, "I'm teetering on. . ." and "I usually don't talk about. . .", the writer can then follow his or her intuition and let the pen take it from there. And if you're stuck? "Write, `Stuck, stuck, stuck,' until something else comes out." According to Goodwin, a little can go a long way, and it often does. The ultimate goal of You Want Me to Do What?, however, is to grow out of the handbook and into the caregiver's own roomier spiral notebook. No matter who you are, Goodwin points out, "your story is buried treasure."