I’m writing this on a quiet Easter Monday, fresh off the heels of business travel. I spent some time in Austin, Texas as a co-facilitator at a communications workshop delivered to lawyers. It’s work I’m deeply honoured to do and having the privilege of witnessing these 22 individuals shift, soften and deepen their connection with themselves and each other never ceases to leave me filled with deep gratitude.

I wrote this on Monday’s spring equinox with the sun shining brightly above me early in the morning. I was appreciating the marked increase in energy that I’ve been noticing on the days that are bright and sunny. This has been one of the greyest winters in the last 80 years meaning that the number of sunny days was significantly lower than any winter that I have experienced in this lifetime; it really has me mindful of the impact of light in a number of different aspects of our lives.

We all have traits that we’re proud of, and traits that we don’t feel so confident about. Some of these traits may trigger or embarrass us, so we hide them from public view. These parts make up your shadow self, and it longs to be heard.

Hard to believe we are already into March! February felt like the longest month ever, but now that it’s done, it feels rather like a blur. Living in Ottawa has certainly not been boring with the occupation that I’m sure you’ve at least heard about.

I personally find that while February is the shortest month of the year, it tends to feel like the longest as I yearn for the promise of warmer spring days and glimpses of green as the snow melts.

Over the past several months I’ve been sharing quite a bit about the spectrum of challenging emotions and while this seems to have been quite helpful to many based on your feedback, what I want to do is shift gears a bit and highlight some of the pieces that lead to the less than desirable emotions.

In one of my recent coaching sessions, my client had a revelation that much of her self-perceived negative behaviours boiled down to one thing; a lack of pleasure and joy in her life.

Over the past couple of months, I’ve covered a pretty wide range of emotions, and they’ve primarily been the less than pleasant ones.

Now, it’s time for a rest.

That’s right, this week is all about rest and rejuvenation and why it’s important to build rest into our lives in an intentional way.

Maybe you’re saying “Yeah, Jess, but like, I sleep and that’s enough!”