When Seasons Change: Learning to Live Well in the Season You’re In
Seasons Change — You can too!
There was a time in my life—several decades ago—when the pace was relentless. With four young kids and a calendar packed so full it could have doubled as a game of Tetris, I was always on the go. PTA meetings. Volunteer work. Church service. Extra commitments I said “yes” to because I thought that’s what a good, capable woman did.
Was it because I had more energy back then? Maybe. But if I’m honest, it was also because I didn’t yet understand the cost. I was stretched so thin that the people I loved most—my own family—often got the leftover version of me. I “served” everyone around me, except the ones who mattered most.
And then… I flipped the script. Hard.
I stopped doing just about everything. I became fiercely protective of my personal time. After years of being “available” to everyone, I pulled my availability way back. I guarded my hours, my energy, and my schedule. I started saying “no” without guilt. At the time, it was exactly what I needed to heal from the burnout I didn’t even realize I had.
But lately, I’ve found myself navigating yet another shift. Now I’m learning how to hold both—protecting my personal time and serving a purpose higher than my own self-interest. Doing what I want to do, taking better care of myself, and contributing in ways that bring meaning and light into the world.
This is the part that’s taken me decades to understand:
Life has seasons, and they will look different. That’s not just okay—it’s how it’s meant to be.
The Myth of the “Right Pace”
We often measure our worth by how much we can do or how consistently we can maintain a certain pace. But that’s like expecting the ocean to stay at high tide all the time—it’s unnatural.
There are seasons for pouring out and seasons for filling up. Seasons for running hard and seasons for walking slowly. Seasons for showing up in every room and seasons for slipping quietly out of sight.
When we fight this truth, we end up in one of two places:
Overextended and depleted
Isolated and unfulfilled
Neither is sustainable.
Listening to the Inner Voice
The real work—the deep, soul-level work—is learning to listen to that quiet inner voice. The one that says, This is what will work right now, in this season.
That voice may tell you:
It’s time to rest.
It’s time to step up.
It’s time to say yes.
It’s time to say no.
And here’s the tricky part—what worked last season may not work now. The commitments that were life-giving five years ago might feel heavy today. The routines that once fit perfectly might need to be reimagined.
The voice inside doesn’t speak in shame or urgency—it speaks in clarity. The challenge is to quiet the noise long enough to hear it.
Finding Your Balance
Right now, my balance looks like:
Making space for rest, reflection, and personal health.
Saying yes to projects and relationships that align with my deeper purpose.
Serving in ways that actually serve—not out of obligation, but out of love and alignment.
Your balance might look completely different. And that’s the point. There’s no universal formula, only a willingness to adjust the mix as the season shifts.
Grace for Every Season
Looking back, I can see the mistakes I made—the times I overcommitted and the times I withdrew too much. But I also see the necessity of those seasons. Both the “all in” and the “all out” years taught me something.
So I’m giving myself grace. And I’m giving you permission to do the same.
Because the goal isn’t to find one perfect pace and stay there forever.
The goal is to keep moving in step with the life you have right now—open-handed, open-hearted, and willing to change course when the season changes.
Reflection Question:
What season are you in right now? And what would it look like to live well in it?
