A FRIENDLY REMINDER

Yes, it's November, which means we're already seeing a ton of reading material about the holidays. The stress, the planning, the balancing act of managing endless lists, and yes, even blogs like this one! But I'm hoping this one hits a little differently. Not another list of things to do or ways to make the holidays better, but just a few friendly reminders that might be worth hearing as we head into the season. I don't know about you, but the holidays have always been a little bit of everything for me. There are things like laughter, traditions, time with the people I love, and all those little moments that make this time of year special. But there's also sadness, stress, memories, missing people, and reminders of how much life has changed over the years. And sometimes, all of those feelings show up at the same time. For me, I can be happy and enjoy what's happening around me and then have a moment where I miss someone a little extra during this time of the year. And you know what? That's okay. Those feelings can coexist.

I think sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves to make November and December all about gratitude, happiness, traditions, and making memories that we forget one important thing: life doesn't stop being life and life can be a lot. So, I just want to put a few reminders out there, not as a list of things you should or shouldn't do, but just a few things you might be able to hold some space for:

- Being grateful doesn't mean you aren't allowed to acknowledge what's missing, what's hurting, or what's weighing on you.

- You don't have to put yourself in uncomfortable situations just because it's a holiday or because someone expects you to do something. Set a boundary.

- Sometimes we get so caught up in making the holidays special for everyone else that we forget to actually enjoy them ourselves in an intentional way. Let some things go.

- Holidays have a way of reminding us of who's no longer here, traditions that have changed, and how different life looks and feels now. You can enjoy what you have today and still miss what you had before! Try to remove that pressure that we have to feel one thing over another.

- Take care of yourself. You deserve consideration, support, and rest just as much as everyone else!

I hope you can go into this holiday season holding space for the good moments, acknowledging the hard ones, making new memories, holding on to the traditions that mean the most, and most importantly, allowing yourself to just be.

Kindly,

Julie