Lisa Ray Instagram – My friend and meditation teacher @mishtickle shared this deeply nourishing poem today. I really needed to hear, and maybe you do too. . Give Yourself Grace When you’re doing hard things. When you’re going through change. When you’re noticing old patterns creeping back in. When you don’t feel like you showed up at your best. When you’re lost in the whirling dervish of busy. When your heart feels heavy. When your mood feels flat. When you pick a fight for no reason. When you lose your temper. When you make a mistake. When you are having a very human experience, give yourself grace. The times when you need grace most are the times when you’re least likely to give it to yourself. The standards you hold yourself to are so high, and even when those standards are in your own best interest, you still need grace. You need grace when you’re trying to make positive shifts because you won’t do it perfectly. None of us do. You need grace when you’re being hard on the people around you because there’s a need that you need to fill for yourself. You need grace when you’re exhausted because you deserve to rest. Grace looks different for everyone and at it’s core is ease. That feeling when your whole body exhales and things don’t feel as tightly wound as they did a moment ago. Grace can look like focusing on 1 thing each day that you’re proud of, to combat the voice that tells you you didn’t do enough. Grace can look like listening to that quiet whisper of a voice that says go for a walk, even though you’ve got an inbox full of email. Grace can look like taking time to just be, instead of trying to overthink every. single thing. Grace can look like letting yourself splurge, even though you’re being financially conscious. Grace can look like a day of indulging in silly movies and bad TV. Whatever grace looks like for you, give it to yourself…and if you’re not sure what your grace looks like, get curious. Think about the places in your life where your standards or expectations have gotten too tightly wound. The smallest step you can take toward ease Image Edward Burtynsky