Narrating Hope

In this episode, Elizabeth Burton speaks into the dynamic of feeling overwhelmed and stressed leading up to Christmas and the holiday season. Elizabeth encourages awareness of the inner narrative especially messages about scarcity of time as well as having to be perfect. Elizabeth also encourages looking at the calendar and letting go of some commitments and naming what is most meaningful and important to you. Lastly, Elizabeth encourages simplifying when possible in order to enjoy and be present for the Advent season.

In this episode, Elizabeth encourages practicing gratitude in the midst of naming what's hard. When we do this, we ground ourselves in a wider, more true narrative that supports well-being and the complexities of both pain and joy and how they co-exist.

In this episode, Elizabeth B. Burton validates the complexity of the holidays and how much grief, pain, and longing is often experienced in the missing of someone who was with you as well as the ways you thought your life would be. Elizabeth encourages the naming and expressing of the grief, yet also the consideration of what might make the holidays feel more meaningful.

In this episode Elizabeth encourages reflection on your rhythms of work, rest, and play. If you are feeling a great deal of stress and burnout, it can be especially helpful to consider your daily rhythms, your weekly rhythms, and your monthly rhythms. Often a greater sense of well-being on a soul level may be cultivated by giving yourself permission and claiming space for rest and play.

Join Elizabeth Burton in reflecting on this important question that helps strengthen and solidify both identity and well-being. So much of our lives and time is about fulfilling roles, important and beautiful roles, yet there's an invitation to live more than a role, but to really be rooted and grounded and nurtured as a person.

In this episode, Elizabeth encourages attunement towards noticing and paying attention to what you need. Elizabeth also encourages for those listeners in close relationships to work towards both communicating what you need, but also asking that of your partner. By asking "what do you need?," you give your spouse both the gift of validation of their needs and care for their well-being. Naming needs involves stopping and pausing enough to notice and ask the question and can lead to deeper understanding between people as well as to more nurtured people all around.

Elizabeth shares the reflective question "What am I carrying that's not mine to carry?" and expounds on the concept--encouraging compassion and empathy for others, yet the laying down of any extra burden to rescue and fix something that is not yours to carry in the first place.

Elizabeth shares about navigating friendship in the midst of life transitions by working to intentionally still connect with friends from the past, yet also being open to the gift of new friendships. This is especially relevant for supporting a big life change, whether it's leaving home and going to college or another adventure or simply making a move from one community to another.

In this episode, Elizabeth reflects of friendship that refreshes the soul and encourages noticing on a soul level how you feel in your friendships--noticing whether you feel encouraged, lifted, and accepted as this fosters a strong sense of connection and gratitude. If you are parenting an older child or adolescent or even college aged, consider sharing this episode with them as it can be especially relevant in friendship formation.

In this episode, Elizabeth B. Burton walks you through the practice of naming your values. When you can name what you value most, it impacts so many facets of our lives including making decisions. Naming what you value most is especially relevant for navigating friendships and relationships of all kinds.