How Caring for Family Members Affects Your Organizational Phase of Life
Last week, I introduced you to the 4 phases of life and how when you have your babies can impact upon your phase of life.
This week, I explore this topic even further and share with you how caring for family members can also affect your organizational phase of life.
Now, just to recap, the 4 phases of life are:
- The Childhood Phase (birth to around 18 years old)
- The Accumulation Phase (around 18 – 39 years old)
- The Survival Phase (around 40 – 54 years old)
- The Downsizing & Legacy Phase (age 55+)
The phases of life can often overlap due to life events that occur – and not all of these life events are always planned or particularly welcome!
Having a baby, the topic of last week’s podcast, is a welcome and joyous life event. When you have a baby, you’re thrust into the accumulation phase. All of those toys…food…clothes…furniture…!
This week’s focus is on when you become a caretaker for a family member.
Unfortunately, when you become the caretaker of a family member, that’s not such a joyous life event.
Sometimes we’ll see it coming and have a gradual lead in, other times it rocks our world in an instant!
Often this will be due to medical emergencies, like when a loved one falls and breaks their hip…which I’ve found in recent years is a real thing and it happens A LOT!
I can share from first-hand experience that being a caretaker is EXTREMELY time consuming.
You have an immediate prioritization shift in your life.
You’re thrust into having responsibility over two sets of everything…two households, two sets of bills, etc.
Whatever stage of life you were previously in, when you become a caretaker, you’re also now in the survival phase, too.
In this podcast episode, I share with you some really useful ideas on how to cope if this happens to you.
Next week, I look at how losing a close family member can affect your phase of life. I’m sure you can guess what phase you find yourself in when that happens!
