The way you respond to things and the thoughts that you have are far more often a learned pattern than you realize. But you can shift or interrupt the pattern. You can change the way you’ve “always” responded or reacted.

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone, and something they’re sharing about their own life is landing on a sensitive place in you? Or maybe it landed on a sensitive place that you didn’t realize existed until the other person was in the middle of sharing? How do we stay present to ourselves and to others when that happens?

As we look forward to the New Year and all it may bring, take a moment to pause and look back at what has been. Looking back through a lens of curiosity can bring a sense of peace that you may not be expecting.

We can give our time, energy, and focus to feeling anxious, or we can choose another way.

I not only had to learn to take time for myself, but it was also something I realized I needed.

No matter where you find yourself this Mother’s Day, no matter what emotions are rising to the surface, be kind to yourself.