The 3 G’s You Need For When Life Feels Out of Sync

Summer is here! The heat, the water, the sun – bring it on. From the time I’ve been little it’s the season that I have felt most connected to - maybe it’s the long days, or the summer birthday, or the slowing down that the season usually brings. Summer fills me up. 

I can see some of you shaking your heads – maybe you’re more of a cool temps of fall kind of person, or a rare love when it snows kind of person – and hey, that’s ok by me. Whatever YOUR season, I hope you lean into it and gather all of the joy you can when it’s here.

Gathering joy can be tough when it’s not our season. Maybe you’re facing something really hard like a health crisis, or a job loss, or feelings of loneliness. Times like these can be challenging seasons and make everything feel twice as hard as it usually is.

When we feel like we’re trying to run through mud, it can be helpful to turn our eyes toward the invisible - the things in life that quietly hang out in the background but are always there waiting for us to notice. 

For me, the following are three, invisible good things that help me when I feel out of sync.

Gratitude – When I face adversity, my negativity gene seems to want to step on the gas and remind me of all that I’m lacking. The only antidote I’ve found is to be intentional about gratitude – what do I have? what can I find comfort in? how can I focus on the part of the pie that’s there instead of the piece that’s missing?

Grace – Compassion for others and for myself is a balm that soothes the tender spots when facing internal or external turmoil; there’s something powerful in accepting current conditions and holding a space for the fact that life isn’t perfect and neither am I (nor are the other humans that I’m on this journey with). See good thing #2 for more on this. 

Growth – Being open to learning life’s lessons as I go along helps to take the pressure off of moments when I feel scattered or jumbled. Mistakes will be made, but I can learn from them. Doors may seem to shut, but I can grow into new versions of myself eventually. Growth is the payoff for the hard times whether we like it or not.

I'm wishing you one of these 3 G's in your world this week.