Presence is Self Care

Being present can be one of the most powerful forms of self-care for caregivers.
In this short episode I reflect on caring for a loved one’s mental health, navigating a heavy season, and why treating everyday moments like they matter is a gift—for them and for you.

This season of This Way Up has looked a little different for me.

My mom is going through cancer treatment, and over the past several months I’ve been spending more time traveling back to be with my family. It’s meaningful time—but it’s also changed the rhythm of my life in ways I didn’t expect, leaving less flexibility, less margin, and less space for some of the things I love.

On a long drive home after one of those visits, something quietly landed for me: there is always a last time for everything. A last goodbye. A last hard moment. A last ordinary moment that doesn’t feel significant until it suddenly does.

In this episode, I reflect on what it means to treat everyday moments like they’re the first time—because we don’t know when they’ll be the last. Not as another thing we should do for others, but as a way of caring for ourselves.

This episode is for parents and caregivers who are tired, stretched, and doing their best to love well—especially when mental health challenges are part of the story.

You don’t have to do more.
 You don’t have to be better.
 Sometimes, being present is enough.