Every season has its own energy. The power comes from learning how to embrace the one you’re in.
I’ve been doing a whole lot of peopling lately!
Over the past few weeks, I’ve spent time with friends in upstate New York, went to see a Broadway show with family, celebrated my dad’s birthday, and spoke at a dōTERRA Essential Oil Post Convention Tour.
It’s been wonderful connecting with so many people. And somewhere along the way, I caught a cold.
My body was telling me it needed recovery time. Luckily, between activities I made time to slow down and rest. And it got me thinking about grief.
When connection drains us
When we’re grieving, connection matters. We need people who love and support us. But even people who care about us have their own ideas about how we should grieve. They may think we should get out more, stay home, move forward, or be over it already.
Often they mean well, but their expectations can become another weight we’re carrying. Just as our physical immune system responds to outside challenges, our emotional resources can be depleted by absorbing other people’s judgments and timelines.
Coming back to ourselves
We need time with people and time away from people. Time to reflect, recover, and reconnect with our own truth.
I am doing the best I can to navigate my loss in my own unique way.
No universal timeline. No comparison. No requirement to meet anyone else’s expectations. Taking space allows us to recognize what we need and choose how to move forward.
Every season has its energy
November and the holidays can be particularly difficult for people early in their grief journey. Energy may dip, memories grow stronger, and familiar emotional patterns return. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re moving backward.
Spring brings renewal. Summer brings activity. Fall invites transition and reflection. Winter invites rest and restoration. We don’t expect winter to feel like summer. Why expect ourselves to feel the same every day?
Embrace the season you’re in. And remember, winter isn’t only for staying inside waiting for spring. Sometimes it’s for putting on your boots and playing in the snow.
Try this Simple Practice: Three Steps to Connect, Recover and Reclaim
Step 1: Connect intentionally. Spend time with people who bring joy, laughter, and support. Notice how you feel.
Step 2: Recover. Take a walk, breathe, sit quietly, or rest after peopling. Ask what your body needs.
Step 3: Reclaim. Hand over heart, comfortable breath: I am doing the best I can. My grief is my own. I get to choose how I navigate this journey. Choose one small positive action.
We need connection and recovery, people who love us and space to hear our own voice.
Are you in a season of peopling, or is your body asking you for time to recover?
Go with Power,
Jason
