As we approach this time of the year, I tend to go inward and become reflective about the year and the journey that I and those around me have been on. Which experiences have been difficult? What am I grateful for?

Something I see quite often is when people are facing hardship or difficulty in their lives, but tell themselves that they have so much to be grateful for. They minimize their experiences in favor of gratitude.

Gratitude is an excellent practice and can really enhance our lives. But when we tell ourselves to be grateful without acknowledging our true experiences, we're pushing down the pain and not allowing the space for it to release.

As we wrap up this year, my invitation to you is to acknowledge what this year has been for you. There have likely been beauty and messes and things that you didn't like or want but I invite you to hold space for it all, allow the feelings to come up, and then ask yourself what you are grateful for.

In this episode, I'm exploring what comes before gratitude and why it is so important to allow yourself to experience your hardships. Giving yourself permission to feel all the emotions is vital in processing them, so I'm showing you how to do that so you can love yourself and take care of yourself to get through to the other side.

LISTEN HERE

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