Creating More Space

With the start of the new year, I noticed that I had a deep longing for a steady-daily-rhythm that was more life-giving.  I entered the new year with a desire to discover ways my soul finds energy in order to keep being and becoming the person who pursues Jesus, love, and Justice.

This all lead me to ask what it is that I need to cut back out from my daily rhythm in order to create more space for my desires to grow. This year, I made the commitment to myself to: pay attention to how I spend my time, practice self-care, remind myself to take deep breaths, learn when to say yes and when to say no, be a productive dreamer, celebrate often, read more than I did last year, and take the time to set monthly (and guilt-free) goals.

My tendency is to enter anything new, whether that be the start of a new week or a new year, with empty promises of blog-writing, letter writing, art-making, phone-calling, etc. to somehow make up for what didn't get done. One thing I noticed was that I spend my work day communicating through the internet. Then I would find that during my down time at home, I spent more time on the internet. It's a lot easier for me to lean on social media for various things. The things I was reading and learning were challenging me to grow, but what was most concerning to me was how drained I felt every time I logged into Facebook or scrolled through Instagram. Starting the year off, I deleted Facebook and set a new bed time (I kid you not). This has created space for me to rest better, explore and practice what it is that I desire to grow in (I read more now), and stay connected to others in different ways (lots of thinking of you texts).

I'm hopeful that these intentional practices will lead me towards creativity, stillness, and stability. I'm not sure if you find yourself in a similar state-of-heart that I found myself in earlier this month. If you are in a similar season and find yourself longing for a space to pursue the things that make you come alive, here's something important that I continue to remind myself: creating space for you to get the soul-care and self-care you crave for is not selfish, it's necessary to help you maintain you.

You can't wait for that space or even inspiration to make itself available to you. Every new day, you have the opportunity to commit practicing making time for you. Yesterday may not have been the best in terms of following through with commitments, but I continue to remind myself that all of this is set up for me to thrive and find joy in, not feel guilty about. Create more guilt-free space and delight in it!

So, what is it that you need to cut back or out of your daily rhythm to create more space for new commitments that will fill you up instead of drain you?