At the start of a new year we feel the pressure of resolutions, responsibilities, and wanting to start strong.

But then we get busy. Our minds are full of things we have to do. We worry and fret. We get distracted. We have conflicts with people. We make plans. We work. We serve. We suffer loss of health, people, and dreams. There are people we don’t like and hard things we have to do. Life is messy, challenging and painful. Our lives and calendars are full of both good and hard things.

It takes effort, focus and intention to see the good in the messy middle of life.

In the midst of the mess, life is equally full of beauty, kindness, laughter, and fun. There’s music, flowers, puppies and babies. There are weddings, graduations, job offers and visits from friends. There is coffee, sunshine, nature, games, good books, and photos of happy times. There are great conversations, movies that touch our hearts, comfortable beds, and electricity. There are goals, plans, and dreams. There is kindness, help from others, and love. And we don’t want to miss it!

One of the best, and most important, ways to pause long enough to see all the good is self-care.

When we focus on caring for ourselves, we create space in ourselves and our calendars to breathe deep and understand what’s going on inside us and around us.

Life can get so full that we don’t realize what hard feelings we might be carrying until we slow down.

Self-care includes taking time to explore the thoughts behind your difficult feelings. Feelings are simple energy states that reflect your thoughts which offer important clues about the beliefs underlying them. Not everything we believe is true even though it may FEEL like it is. Often they are just thoughts that we’ve repeated enough times to make them seem believable.

We need time to name and sort through our feelings.

It’s tempting to believe the lie that self-care is selfish. That it’s a frivolous luxury.

Taking care of yourself isn’t a luxury, it’s your responsibility. When you take the time to do things that feed your spirit and replenish your energy, you are able to see the good. To sort through your feelings with grace. You are more fully yourself, because you are more aware.

Self-awareness is the path of growing into the best version of you.

Let’s replace the lie that self-care is selfish with the truth that it’s GRACE for living abundantly.

Let’s decide to regularly pause, take stock of our blessings, see the beauty in the mundane and give thanks.

If you are ready to grow in self-awareness, prioritize caring for yourself, and live an abundant life, schedule a free call HERE to see if 1:1 coaching is the right answer for you.