Paige Squirrell Coaching

I saw this on a friend’s feed and found it so poignant.
Life is rarely all sorted and tied up neatly with a little bow.
I have often found to do life well, there’s a need to acknowledge pain, grief, and sorrow as well as the joy, delight, and blessings and to hold them in tension.
As humans created in God’s image, we have the capacity to lament and to rejoice. Both are important, both have their place, and one isn’t better than the other. In fact, we grow in authenticity and sensitivity by learning to do both well.
May we be those who are not afraid of lament, who don’t expect life to be neat and tidy with beautiful bows, and who know how to make others feel at ease in their pain and/or joy.
Cheering all you beautiful women on wherever you’re at and whatever you’re facing. 💐💕

Mother’s Day can be painful for so many reasons. We send our love and support to all of you struggling today 💙

Thanks so much to .illustrates (Insta) for her lovely illustration.

Have you noticed how much of life is spent waiting? Waiting for an appointment, a decision, confirmation, an outcome of a situation, arrivals, departures, waiting in traffic, waiting for growth, change, results, waiting for others, the list is endless. Sometimes, it can seem an eternity, even hard to cope with when we’ve become used to instant results.

In life, there are still things we cannot force, control, or make happen no matter how hard we try. We have to embrace the art of waiting.

What does waiting spark in you?
Impatience, frustration, annoyance, dread, maybe irritation or uncertainty?

What about expectation, anticipation, excitement, imagination, hope, or even acceptance? Does it stir courage, creativity, patience?

What if waiting could be a gift, an opportunity?

When we learn to wait well, we change. We grow. We mature.
The process becomes part of what makes us who we are and prepares us for whatever the outcome might be.
When we learn to wait well, life becomes interesting, intriguing; it receives purpose and meaning.
We actually begin to live the life we have, rather than waiting for life to happen.

What is your relationship with waiting?
What do you do when you have to wait?
How can you wait well?

Here’s to embracing waiting as a gift! 🎁.

Looking after our souls involves giving our feelings/emotions a place at the table of our lives. They are a gift and can serve us well. What do I mean by that?

Too often, we feel something.
We immediately evaluate: is this a ‘good or bad’ feeling?
Depending on our response, we might embrace it or ignore it.
Amazing how quickly our brain works.

Karla McLaren writes: “Emotions are celebrated and repressed, analyzed and medicated, adored and ignored - but rarely, if ever are they honored.”

When we honour our feelings/emotions, we give them a place at the table. We welcome them. We become curious. We recognise that we can’t help what we are feeling; they might even be justified. And, at the same time, they can either do us harm or good.

I can remember times thinking “I shouldn’t be feeling this. I can’t be feeling this.” This just increased the shame and guilt. Very unhelpful.

When we allow our emotions a seat at the ‘table’, we take the time to become curious.
What just happened?
What am I feeling?
Is this to warn, teach, spur on, give insight, help?

We can’t control the feelings we have but we can control what we do with them.
Name what you’re feeling.
As soon as you do, you tame it.
You own it. It makes it real, tangible. You’ve just brought it into the light and now you can make it work for your good.

Ask, if I hold on to this, will it be helpful or harmful?
If helpful, embrace it.
If harmful, picture yourself laying it down and turning away from it.
What helpful emotion can you embrace in its place?

Doing this keeps you from suppressing, ignoring, pretending, finding unhealthy ways to cope, creating a disconnect between your inner and outer world.

As a follower of Jesus, I love to do this with Him. It becomes a life of repentance (turning away from holding on to something that is harmful and destructive and turning to Him). There’s no shame or guilt attached to that, only refreshment.

Have the courage to face your emotions.
Embrace them.
Choose which ones to surf.
Do your soul good.

When was the last time you had a good laugh and couldn’t stop?
How did you feel afterwards?

Chances are you felt much better.

I love to hear and, even more, be part of hearty laughter, that unrestrained, uncontrollable, deep ring that fills a room. It resounds and reverberates, bounces around injecting everyone with joy. There’s something beautiful, refreshing, and wholesome being able to laugh freely with loved ones and friends.

Did you know laughter is like medicine, exercise?
The health benefits are surprising:

😁 It reduces the level of stress hormones
😁 It increases healthy-enhancing hormones like endorphins and strengthens our immune system
😁 It provides a physical and emotional release
😁 A good belly laugh exercises the diaphragm, abs, and shoulders, leaving muscles more relaxed afterwards
😁 It provides a good workout for the heart
😁 It serves as a healthy distraction from anger, guilt, and other negative emotions
😁 It can help to change our perspective on challenging situations
😁 It connects us with others and elevates everyone’s mood

Maybe King Solomon knew what he was talking about when he said, “A cheerful heart is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.”

There’s much in life that tries to sap our strength. One antidote is to find opportunities to laugh more.

- Watch a funny film.
- Meet up with some friends and laugh.
- Listen to the laugh and giggle of a little one.
- Decide to see the funny side of things.
- Embrace a sense of humour.

I know laughter won’t get rid of challenges, heartache, and frustrations but it will ease the journey through them.

Go ahead and laugh. It’ll do your soul good.

Looking after our souls involves giving our feelings/emotions a place at the table of our lives. They are a gift and can serve us well. What do I mean by that?

Too often, we feel something.
We immediately evaluate: is this a ‘good or bad’ feeling?
Depending on our response, we might embrace it or ignore it.
Amazing how quickly our brain works.

Karla McLaren writes: “Emotions are celebrated and repressed, analyzed and medicated, adored and ignored - but rarely, if ever are they honored.”

When we honour our feelings/emotions, we give them a place at the table. We welcome them. We become curious. We recognise that we can’t help what we are feeling; they might even be justified. And, at the same time, they can either do us harm or good.

I can remember times thinking “I shouldn’t be feeling this. I can’t be feeling this.” This just increased the shame and guilt. Very unhelpful.

When we allow our emotions a seat at the ‘table’, we take the time to become curious.
What just happened?
What am I feeling?
Is this to warn, teach, spur on, give insight, help?

We can’t control the feelings we have but we can control what we do with them.
Name what you’re feeling.
As soon as you do, you tame it.
You own it. It makes it real, tangible. You’ve just brought it into the light and now you can make it work for your good.

Ask, if I hold on to this, will it be helpful or harmful?
If helpful, embrace it.
If harmful, picture yourself laying it down and turning away from it.
What helpful emotion can you embrace in its place?

Doing this keeps you from suppressing, ignoring, pretending, finding unhealthy ways to cope, creating a disconnect between your inner and outer world.

As a follower of Jesus, I love to do this with Him. It becomes a life of repentance (turning away from holding on to something that is harmful and destructive and turning to Him). There’s no shame or guilt attached to that, only refreshment.

Have the courage to face your emotions.
Embrace them.
Choose which ones to surf.
Do your soul good.

Breathe

paigesquirrell.com In a time of information overload, I pray the words you read in this space will be an oasis in the desert, a peaceful stream in turbulent and ruffled times.Let’s be honest, we are living in a weary world shaken to it's core. It’s hard not to be influenced and affected by this.