Some of us are more likely to admit that we have limits and are fairly in tune with naming those limits, and others of us are not and continue to hold up perhaps an unrealistic standard of what we feel like we should be or should be accomplishing or our capacity in a way that doesn't match our reality. And that can be a continual source of frustration, it can be a source of disappointment, and it can also really move into being more of a source of shame if the inner critic is so harsh.

And I recognize that in the world that we live in, we are often rushing and going and hurrying from one thing to the next. Even how we might approach just each day through a to do list and checking things off, there can be this sense of “my whole day is based on my productivity.” And of course it feels great to check things off, but what happens sometimes is that we get in kind of an autopilot dynamic... And it takes some intentional reflection, which really comes from slowing down enough to even make space to consider how you're doing, the state of your heart, how you're feeling, what you're thinking, what you need…

And yet it's so important to consider that concept of sustainability, because while caregiving may be a short term experience, it often is for a longer road. And in order to show up daily, or just about daily for another person, we need to be tuned in to the concept of considering also what we need in order to keep pouring out. I think all of you have probably heard that quote about how you can't pour from an empty cup. And it's one of those that no matter how many times you hear, it can be really good to keep being reminded and to consider for yourself...Am I filled up? What helps me keep pouring out? ...Of all the things, all the various coping strategies and choices and habits and things I can do with my time, which of those things are so life-giving to me that they help me pour out and care for the people that I need to care for?

Am I in a season of growth? Am I in a season of adjustment? Am I in a season of grief? Am I in a season of discipline, perhaps, or just transition…? Am I in a season of loneliness where I really long for more connections? Am I in a season of abundance, where things are going really well and there's just a lot to enjoy, but it's a fast pace? So in this, I just want to encourage you to, similarly to the literal seasons, to name the season you're in in a larger sense. What is this time like for you? And when you can name what it's like, you're validating your internal world and your experience…

…If the message that is looping in your head is a message of anxiety telling you to avoid something that's actually healthy for you, good for you, that's something that you want in your life, but you're avoiding it because that anxiety message is so strong, then consider really writing it down, typing it out, externalizing it, and connecting it with anxiety's voice and see if that creates some distance for you. Sometimes just that shift alone is so significant that it can help you really begin to work towards that claiming of a more true narrative.

And what I really love is to elevate authenticity instead of perfectionism. Because you are a human being, and as a human being, how can you be real? And often being authentic is vulnerable, so sometimes we kind of shy away from that. And perfectionism feels kind of like a shield, like something we can hide behind…

And if you are experiencing a lot of burnout and a lot of stress, sometimes we really do need to examine our work itself. Certainly that can be a factor. And yet sometimes if we just look at our rhythms and ask ourselves —am I claiming space for rest? Am I claiming space for play? And if not, how can I cultivate that and then reflect back on how I feel. Because maybe the problem may not be work itself, it may be how we approach it, and it may be the boundaries we have around it. It may be what happens in that space outside of work. And this is really something that is not like flipping a switch. This is about a posture of kind of tuning in, of reflecting, of reexamining, of curiosity, and of trying some different things…