Hi again and welcome back to the savvy psychologist. I'm your host Dr. Ellen

Hendrickson and every week I'll help you meet life's challenges with evidence-based research, a sympathetic ear, and

zero judgment.

So what do the greatest generation, boomers, Gen Xers, and millennials have in common?

No matter your generation, at some point in life,

you may find yourself a dual member of the sandwich generation.

So what is that exactly? Is it simultaneously having your parents

disapprove of you and your kids be embarrassed by you? Not quite. Instead, it's a term

coined in 1981, originally referring to women in their 30s or 40s who cared for elderly family members while raising their own children.

But quite a bit has changed since 1981. As families have kids later and seniors live longer,

today's sandwich generation is older, predominantly 40 through 60, and it includes plenty of men. So, no matter your age or

gender, if you're supporting a child and have an elderly parent, welcome to

Club Sandwich.

And I know that was a groaner even for me.

Regardless, for everyone in the Sandwich generation, time, money, and balance

are in short supply.

Why? Well, by definition, the sandwich generation provide support.

And there are many kinds of support to provide.

Emotional, financial, instrumental, aka tangible help, like driving

someone to an appointment or bringing over a casserole. But since this is a psychology podcast,

today we'll focus on the many emotional challenges

in a life where figuratively, you find yourself

...