As we enter the holidays, images abound around us that capture our ideals of how we want holidays to be and look in our homes and lives. Matching dresses, coordinating stockings, gourmet meals, beautifully wrapped presents, and while these things are so lovely, it can be helpful to keep before us what matters most.

I love the concept of presence instead of perfection. When we value presence more, it goes a long way in taking the pressure off and grounding us in what really matters.

In this way, self-care is less about this BIG thing that we do and more about small ways that we can integrate self-care into our days.

Ask Yourself: What can I do throughout the day to put myself in a calmer place, so that I can keep pouring out and keep connecting?

Many days the energy required to stay safe and take care of basic needs takes precedence right now over the higher aspirations in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs--- love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.

This is hard. No doubt. Let’s give grace towards ourselves when it feels like too much. Let’s give grace to each other. Prioritize basic needs like sleep and nutrition. You have to be filled up in order to pour out.

As we as a society walk through the pandemic of the Coronavirus, we all face challenges that leave us in a vulnerable place emotionally, mentally, and for many, financially.

While it is hard to imagine that flourishing and thriving are even possible right now when most of us are understandably in a survival mode, there are stances that we can take that put us in a posture of hope and movement forward through this challenging time.