Episode 51: Caring For Others Without Losing Yourself: Mindset Tools for Family Caregivers

August 18, 2025

Episode Title: Caring for Others Without Losing Yourself: Mindset Tools for Caregivers
Podcast: Running to Myself
Host: Trisha Stanton

Episode Summary:
In today’s episode of Running to Myself, Trisha Stanton speaks directly to those in caregiving roles—especially those who never signed up for the job. Whether you’re caring for a loved one with a terminal illness, mental health struggles, or chronic medical needs, caregiving can be both sacred and heavy. Trisha shares three powerful mindset tools to help caregivers take care of themselves, offering practical strategies to reconnect with their own needs, desires, and sense of identity, even amidst the emotional and physical toll of caregiving.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why it's essential to recognize that you are not just your role—you are still YOU.
The importance of accepting support, and how asking for help is a necessity, not a failure.
How tiny moments of care—like a few deep breaths or a brief break—can create meaningful shifts in your well-being.

Trisha also talks about:

The invisible toll caregiving can take and how it often leads to feelings of being unseen or unheard.
How to balance the tenderness of caregiving with the truth that your life and needs still matter.
The importance of holding space for both love and self-care.

Key Takeaways:

Mindset Tool #1: You Are Not the Role
Don’t lose yourself in caregiving. Take time to check in with your own needs, desires, and boundaries.
Mindset Tool #2: You Deserve Support
Burnout doesn’t make you stronger—it just wears you down. It’s okay to ask for help.
Mindset Tool #3: Tiny Moments Matter
Care for yourself in small, but impactful ways throughout the day.

Quotes from the episode:

“You are allowed to be tired. You are allowed to be overwhelmed.”
“Even in this hard season, there’s still space for your voice. There’s still room for your breath.”
“You don’t have to figure it all out today, but you can take your next small step forward.”

Connect with Trisha:

Book a Free Consultation: Click Here!
Become an Email Subscriber: Join Here!
Instagram: @tstanton21
Facebook: Trisha Shipley Stanton

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Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to share this episode with someone who might need a little encouragement today. You’re doing better than you know.

Episode Transcript

Hey friend, welcome back to Running to Myself. I’m Trisha Stanton—life coach, former teacher, wife, mom, grandma… and someone who really understands what it feels like to carry heavy things and still have a deep desire to show up with love.
Recently, I gave a talk to a group of nurse administrators and directors. It was all about self-care and mindset support for caregivers—because these are people who spend their days walking with others through the most sacred, emotional, and exhausting moments of life.
But as I was preparing, something else hit me.
What about the people who aren’t in professional caregiver roles, but find themselves as caregivers in their personal life?
What about the women—and men—who didn’t sign up for this as a career, but who now find themselves in the middle of it every single day?
The daughters, sons, spouses, partners, friends… who are now caring for a loved one at home. A parent. A spouse with a terminal illness. A sibling with mental illness. A child with chronic medical needs.
There’s no off-the-clock.
There’s no designated break room.
There’s just… life.
And love.
And exhaustion.
And a million decisions you didn’t expect to have to make.
If that’s you—I want to speak directly to your heart today.

I know you didn’t apply for this role. You didn’t train for it. You didn’t necessarily plan for your life to look like this right now.
But here you are. Showing up, day after day, because love called you to.
What you’re doing is sacred. It’s meaningful. It matters.
But it’s also heavy.
And if no one else has said this lately—I will:
You are allowed to be tired.
You are allowed to be overwhelmed.
You are allowed to need support even though you’re the one offering it.
Because being the strong one doesn’t mean you never break down.

Listen Closely: You’re Still a Person Too
One of the most heartbreaking patterns I see in midlife coaching clients—especially those who are caregivers—is this sense of invisibility. Like your needs, your dreams, your identity are on hold.
But I want to say something bold here:
You are still a person.
Not just a caregiver.
Not just the responsible one.
Not just the one holding everything together.
Your life still matters—right now.
I have 3 mindset tools to share to help you care for yourself in this season. So grab something to write with and let’s go:
Mindset Tool #1: You Are Not the Role
We often fuse our role with our identity.
But the truth is, you are not the role you’re playing.
You are not just “the daughter caring for mom.”
You are still YOU.
When we lose ourselves in the role, we stop asking important questions like:
What do I need right now?
Where can I create space to breathe?
How do I want to be in this season, not just what do I need to do?
It’s not selfish to ask those questions.
It’s wise. It’s necessary. It’s healthy.
Mindset Tool #2: You Deserve Support, Too
Let’s be real. You probably don’t have a lot of time. You may even feel guilty asking for help because your loved one’s needs feel so much bigger than yours.
But listen—burnout doesn’t make you more loving.
It makes you more resentful. More detached. More exhausted.
You are not meant to carry all of this alone.
Support might look like:
Letting a friend bring dinner.
Taking 20 minutes to go for a walk.
Talking to a coach or counselor just for you.
Not because you're failing—but because you're human.
Mindset Tool #3: Tiny Moments Count
You may not have time for a full morning routine or a weekend getaway. But small moments matter.
90 seconds of deep breathing while the coffee brews.
A favorite song while you fold laundry.
Laughing at a meme or texting a friend who gets it.
Those micro-moments of care add up.
They remind your nervous system that you’re safe.
They remind your heart that you’re still alive.
They remind your mind that your thoughts and feelings matter, too.
This Is a Tender Season—Not a Life Sentence
I know it can feel like this is all there is.
Like your world has shrunk down to pill schedules, medical appointments, and holding space for someone else's pain.
But I want to invite you to hold both.
To hold the tenderness of caregiving and the truth that your life is still happening.
To grieve what you’ve lost and still stay open to what’s possible.
To love fully and also live fully.
You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
This is what I do in coaching.
I walk with people like you—people who are carrying heavy things—and help them reconnect with themselves.
Because even in this hard season, there’s still space for your voice.
There’s still room for your breath.
There’s still purpose in your story.
You don’t have to figure it all out today.
But if something in you whispered “yes” while listening—I’d love to help.
You can always book a free consultation call at trishastanton.com/signup.
We’ll talk. We’ll breathe. We’ll find your next small step forward.
Until then—keep showing up with love, but don’t forget to show up for yourself, too.
You matter.
And you’re doing better than you know.

Episode 51: Caring For Others Without Losing Yourself: Mindset Tools for Family Caregivers

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