Stillpoint: A Self-Care Playbook for Caregivers to Find Ease, and Time to Breathe, and Reclaim Joy

by Sheila K. Collins, Christine Gautreaux

Being a caregiver is a hazardous occupation, whether it’s a chosen helping profession or a family responsibility that’s chosen you. 43.5 million American adults, (17% of the workforce) are caring for another ill or disabled adult and these caregivers are at risk for more serious health problems in comparison with people who don’t have such responsibilities. Research continues to document the frequency of “burnout” and “compassion fatigue” for persons in the helping professions while self-care continues to be all but neglected in the professional programs that train them. Stillpoint is a comprehensive guide offering caregivers permission to become attuned to their own needs while caring for others. The artistic approach of these two dancing social workers encourages and provides the reader with numerous ways to pay attention to the somatic self – the body as perceived from the inside. The stories, whimsical songs, poems, quizzes, meditations, and affirmations can aid professional and family caregivers alike in unlearning self-defeating habits and changing mindsets to include themselves in their wholehearted caring. Tools for self-healing are also offered along with resources and sample rituals to transform both careers and caregivers.

292 pages, Paperback

Published July 23, 2018

About the author

Sheila K. Collins, PhD is a dancer, social worker, university professor, clinic director, author, and improvisational performance artist. She currently directs the Wing & A Prayer Pittsburgh Players, an InterPlay improvisational performance troupe that assists human service agencies in the Pittsburgh community.

Reviews

[Andreas Michaelides · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Stillpoint: A Self-Care Playbook for Caregivers to Find Ease, and Time to Breathe, and Reclaim Joy by Sheila K. Collins Ph.D. (Author), Christine Gautreaux MSW (Author) is an amazing and thoughtful book written by two professionals in the area of caregiving.
The authors successfully illustrate and bring to the scene the need that people who take care other people are also human beings with feelings, emotions, needs, worries, anxieties, personal life’s and in a nutshell they need taking care too.
The book presents a series of personal stories of the authors and also from people they worked with or were patients of them. Through the stories, the writers managed to show us the need and even a plethora of ways so we can accomplish having a life that is at ease and happy.
By illustrating how other people deal with their problems the authors managed to connect with their audience. I mean even if you are not a professional caregiver we all take care someone to our family or know someone that struggles with taking care loved ones and trying at the same time to have a healthy and fulfilling life.
The stories cover the theoretical aspect of a person psyche, and the book is full of practical exercises that you can do on your own time and place, and they aim to help us reduce our stress and find the right path for ourselves and for our family.
Even this book primarily aims for people who take care of someone either professionally or not the principles and the practical knowledge that it contains can be applied to each and every one of us.
We as individuals can learn a lot from this book, learning how to first taking care of ourselves is the first step to balancing our lives, and once we achieve that, then we can become better and more successful caregivers to other people as well.
I really enjoyed the concept of illustrating the physical aspect and emotional aspect with cartoons. I really enjoyed reading about “Feelie” and “Touchy.”
It is a beautiful book and I highly recommend it.