The holiday season is upon us and while it’s often portrayed as a time of comfort and joy, for many of us it, can feel quite the opposite. Festive gatherings might instead bring discomfort, sadness, or grief – or maybe you’re navigating a mix of it all.

What do you do when you’re feeling anxious? Frustrated? Generally upset?….. Many of us instinctively try to dull or escape uncomfortable emotions…because we’ve never been taught how to sit with or process them.

The ebbs and flows of friendship offer us a mirror for personal growth. Learning to navigate these changes with compassion helps us honour both ourselves and the friends who have been a part of our journey.

Do you feel stuck? Or do you find yourself questioning your progress because things aren’t moving as quickly as you’d hoped?…In a world that seems to be speeding up with every passing year, it’s natural to want proof that our efforts are leading somewhere. We want the reassurance that our hard work isn’t going to waste.

…on a journey of personal growth, we can find ourselves focusing on all the things we want to be more of or better at—a better listener, a better communicator, more open, more compassionate. The pressure to improve can leave us feeling like we aren’t enough as we are. While adding more can feel empowering, there’s often an underrated power in releasing what no longer serves us.

Have you ever done something that unintentionally disappointed someone, and then found yourself asking them not to be upset with you?…While being mindful of our actions is important, there will be times when we unintentionally hurt or disappoint others. Instead of making it about us, can we allow them the emotional freedom to feel their feelings?

We often see just a small part of a situation and subconsciously fill in the blanks, believing we now know the whole story. But the truth is, we rarely know the full picture…But what happens when we make decisions based on these incomplete stories?

Have you ever agreed to something and later regretted it? Maybe you said yes without expressing your true opinion or setting a boundary. I know I’ve been there…many times. The turning point came when I started asking myself one key question: Am I doing this for love, or from love?

It’s tempting, especially when something feels easy or natural for us, to wonder why it isn’t for someone else. But what if we slowed down and considered that there’s likely a history, a set of circumstances surrounding that person’s hesitations or struggles? Perhaps if we were in their shoes, we’d struggle too.

We often label events in our lives as “good” or “bad,” but the truth is, everything is neutral until we assign meaning to it. And here’s the powerful part: we get to choose the meaning we attach. It might sound simplistic, but think about it—how often do we let outside circumstances define our inner state?

It feels like there’s always a never-ending list of things to do. It’s tempting to cram as much as possible into each day. But lately, I’ve been noticing—and hearing from others—that “the happiest people I know are actually slowing down, not speeding up.”

Have you ever read or heard relationship advice and thought, “I would never say that?” I’ve been there too! Over the course of many relationships, I realized that while some things may feel uncomfortable or awkward to say, they are often worth considering.

Have you ever felt like there’s so much going on in your world that it’s hard to tell left from right or up from down? Let me follow up with this: During these times, how connected do you feel to the decisions you’re making?

Have you ever been absolutely sure of something, only to later discover that your certainty wasn’t quite right?...Realizing that we got it wrong or our information is outdated doesn’t make us bad – it makes us human.

Is there anything you wish your parents had said to you more often growing up? If we were to reflect on our childhood, many of us can remember moments where a few kind words might have made all the difference.

Often, we seek proof that something will work out before we muster the confidence to take a risk or make a commitment. We want to ensure it’s going to work out to avoid feeling hurt or disappointed. That’s understandable – it’s natural to want to feel safe, but what if we’ve got it backwards?

Our individual actions are influenced by, yet distinct from, the larger systems we are part of. Whether it's our families, cultural backgrounds, or the social environments we engage in, these systems impact us, and recognizing our role within these systems can illuminate why certain patterns persist and how we can begin to change them.

Today’s insights are inspired by a poignant quote from psychiatrist Phil Stutz in the documentary Stutz: “There are three aspects of reality: the pain will never go away; uncertainty will never go away; and there’s no getting away from the need for constant work. Everybody has to live like that, no matter what.”

Do you ever find yourself getting caught up in the details? I've learned that an over-reliance on this skill can skew our perspective. We can become so absorbed in the minutiae that we lose sight of the broader context, transforming us into relentless fault-finders.

As adults, we often view messiness as an inconvenience…something more challenging than maintaining order and simplicity. But what wonders might we be missing by not allowing room for the messiness inherent in living a full, human life?