Giving Myself Grace Through Grief: A Gentle Reminder to Slow Down

The last two weeks I know that I have been a little quieter than usual on social media, in my newsletter, and in other forms of communication. What many people don’t see behind the scenes is that my family and I have been walking through a season of loss and grief. We unexpectedly had to put down one of our dogs, Callie, and rightfully so, it has sent my husband and me into a whirlwind of emotions.

Grief has a way of touching everything, even when you try to keep going. I’ve had days where I’ve had little to no motivation, where sleep didn’t come easily, where my focus felt scattered, and even where my body felt physically unwell. Loss does that. It shakes the foundation you stand on, even if only for a while.

Many people have lovingly told me, “Faith, give yourself grace and patience during this time. You’re grieving.” You would think that would be obvious—especially given the kind of work I do every day supporting others in building capacity and well-being. But the truth is, it’s often much easier to extend compassion to others than it is to extend it to ourselves.

Facing the Mirror of My Own Expectations

I found myself growing frustrated that I wasn’t operating at my “normal” pace. I was irritated when my brain felt foggy or when I couldn’t bring myself to push through a to-do list the way I usually would. There were moments where my internal dialogue was loud and harsh: “You have things to do. Keep going. Don’t slow down.”

But then, like a gentle but firm whisper, a theme kept showing up in conversations, books, and even quiet moments of reflection: Be gentle. Slow down to speed up.

It hit me like a ton of bricks. I had to give myself permission to be human. I needed to be kind to myself—not just because it’s what people told me to do—but because my healing, my energy, and my ability to lead well depend on it.

Grace Isn’t Weakness — It’s Necessary

We are often our own toughest critics. We hold ourselves to unrealistic standards of perfection, even when life is falling apart around us. We give grace freely to others but hold ourselves hostage to productivity and “getting it together.”

But grace isn’t weakness. Grace is what allows us to breathe again. It’s what gives us space to heal, to restore our energy, to find a new normal when the old one has been disrupted.

A Gentle Challenge for You This Week

I want to leave you with a few questions to reflect on—because maybe, like me, you’ve been a little too hard on yourself lately:

• How can you be kinder to yourself this week?

• Where do you need to give yourself grace?

• Where can you build in intentional rest?

And here’s a practice that’s helped me catch unkind thought patterns: If you say something negative to yourself, try saying it out loud. Would you ever let someone else speak to you that way? If not, it’s time to rewrite that narrative.

Grief may have slowed me down, but it also reminded me of something vital: slowing down is not failure. Sometimes, it’s exactly what our souls need most to find strength again.

• Offers and upcoming things:

• The conference in Columbus is about two weeks away! It is going to be such a powerful evening filled with connection, learning, and elevation. We are excited to partner with Junior League of Columbus for a supply drive for their foster youth program. Discounted tickets for nonprofit partners (reach out to me) and any businesses wanting to donate door prizes or items for the 30 VIP swag bags. Grab your tickets or reach out for the discount code!

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