Do you remember what you like and what restores you?

I think we sometimes forget that we need to take care of ourselves too. Often, everyone else takes priority over our own needs. We want to be there for the people we love, do our work well, and follow through on our commitments. That feels caring, and yet it can leave us feeling exhausted and burned out. We can become so used to thinking about what everyone else needs that we lose touch with ourselves.

I have been thinking about this lately. How easy it is to push through when we’re tired, put off something we enjoy, or tell ourselves we’ll have more time next week. Sometimes, when we finally have a moment to ourselves, we don’t even know what we need. Do we need rest? Some movement? Time alone, or time with someone who helps us feel connected?

What if we could learn to know ourselves better? To recognize when we need rest instead of pushing, connection instead of isolation, or movement and stretching after too much time sitting. What if we noticed those needs and made a little space for them in our busy lives? I wonder what kind of difference that could make. I know the difference it has made for me.

Part of that might be remembering what we enjoy. Maybe it’s being outside, listening to music, making something, or having an unhurried conversation with a friend. Maybe there’s something we used to love that has slowly disappeared from our days. And perhaps what restores us has changed. It’s worth getting curious about who we are now and what feels good to us in this season of life.

Knowing what we need doesn’t always mean we remember to make room for it. We get busy, fall into familiar habits, and put ourselves last again. I’ve been thinking about how I could offer support around this, and what it might feel like to come together as a group to help us remember. A place where we could pause, learn a little more about ourselves, and encourage each other to make space for what we need. Sometimes hearing someone else share their experience helps us recognize something in our own lives.

Something is taking shape from these thoughts, and I look forward to sharing more with you soon. For now, I’d love for you to consider what restores you. Is there something you’ve been missing, or a need you’ve been putting off? What would it look like to make a little room for that this week?