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 private. They feel trapped in an endless loop and need to release the stress of caregiving. B. Lynn Goodwins new book, You Want Me to Do What? Journaling for Caregivers allows users to process their stress and celebrate what is right. It gives readers open-ended instructions on spilling their guts in the safety of a private journal and offers two hundred sentence starts to help them begin writing. Caring for oneself is as essential as breathing, but caregivers lose sight of that fact. Think of the flight attendant who says, Put on your own oxygen mask before helping those around you. Journaling is a caregivers oxygen mask, which You Want Me to Do What? provides.

156 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Writer and editor B. Lynn Goodwin owns Writer Advice, www.writeradvice.com. She’s the author of a YA, Talent, which was short-listed for a Literary Lightbox Award and won a bronze medal in the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards and was a finalist for a Sarton Women’s Book Award, and Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62, which won a 2018 National Indie Excellence Award Winner, Human Relations Indie Book Awards Winner, Dragonfly Book Awards & Next Generation Indie Book Awards & Best Book Awards Finalist & NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Award Winner.

She’s written a collection of journaling prompts, flash pieces, and short articles. Her flash fiction is published in Flashquake, Nebo, Cabinet of Heed, Murmur of Words, 100-Word Stories, Ariel’s Dream, and Writing in a Woman’s Voice. She lives near Mt. Diablo with her energizer-bunny husband and their exceptional terrier.

Reviews

[Kate]

There are lots of great writing prompts in here for caregivers--and for everyone. Read my interview with the author here:

http://beingandwriting.blogspot.com/2...

[Marsha]

This book is a must-have for caregivers. I won it through the GoodReads First Reads giveaway and I'm glad I did. I probably wouldn't have made it to the store to buy it for myself these days.

No matter your age or gender, at some point in your life, you will become a caregiver. For my boyfriend and I, it has happened quite early in life as his mother is facing cancer. This book is a wonderful resource. Each chapter has sentence starters for you to journal your thoughts and feelings. It's a great way to cope with the issues you face. I find comfort in knowing others have faced the same things I have and it's okay to start journal entries with things like "I had to give up this because of you..."

I tend to be bit long-winded, so I will have to write my responses in a separate journal. What's great about this book, though, is that it's not just about journaling. The chapters are arranged in a logical order to allow you to progress through anger, frustration, grief, sacrifice, and other emotions. And B. Lynn Goodwin has thought of many sentence starters that I never would have addressed.B. Lynn Goodwin

Thank you.

[Auntie Raye-Raye]

I won this book from the Goodreads First Reads.

I am not currently a caretaker. I have been one in the past. Even if you aren't a caretaker, this book is quite helpful! Ms. Goodwin offers a lot of helpful advice on how to journal, get your feelings out, and become less stressed.

[B. Goodwin]

Of course I like it. I'm biased. Check it out for yourself at http://www.writeradvice.com/ywmtdw.html.

Lynn