The past 3 months have been filled with countless lessons that have helped me learn more about how to better care for myself in the midst of trials and difficult circumstances. The five listed below are the ones that have been the most significant in helping me to grow both spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.

1. It's okay to say no

Sometimes it can feel like it's just easiest to say yes, but then you are stuck will all these commitments and plans that can overwhelm you. I'm learning that you do not need to always provide an explanation or reason for your answer, all you must say is no.

2. Alone time is important

There are many times where even just the thought of being alone scares me for various reasons, but something I am learning more and more is that taking time for yourself is actually really healthy. Spending time alone can allow you to breathe, decompress, and process things as you take time to care for yourself in this way.

3. Allow others to care for you

Just as you must take time to care for yourself, it is also important to allow others to help you in your time of need. This can sometimes be difficult to allow others to see the brokenness or trial you are facing, but there are so many people who desire to serve and love you and surround you in your time of need. For me, even just asking for prayer, or expressing a tiny bit of the pain I'm feeling to someone I trust can help provide comfort.

4. Life is full of seasons

I don't just mean the four seasons that exist within nature, but the different times in our life where we face different circumstances. Sometimes these periods can be filled with extreme hardships and difficulties. I've dealt with this several times over the past year, and the reality that the pain and emotions that accompany these situations won't last forever. They are just part of a season of your life, whether that lasts a month, six months, or a year; the hardship that your facing is not a permanent condition for your life.

5. God really is always good

In the midst of trials it can oftentimes be really hard to trust that this is true, but I have learned that it really is. Looking back over the seasons of life that I have been through, I can now see how God was working things together for my benefit even when I did not realize it. In the midst of affliction it can be hard to feel God or understand what good could possibly exist in the future, but sometimes these trials are just preparing us for something else. I am holding fast to this truth as I navigate the current tribulations and pain that exists in my life. I am anxiously awaiting the day where I can look back on this time and see how God used it for my advantage, but for now I will have hope and trust in His plans for my future.