FEBRUARY 2026 Newsletter - SELF-DISCOVERY: Reflecting on Our Journeys

FEBRUARY THEME: Self-Discovery

“Finding oneself is a journey, not a destination.” — Unknown

In January, we discussed the power of setting intentions for who we want to be. Now at the end of February, we are well into our personal journeys of self-discovery. Some of us may be finding our paths as straightforward as we had hoped while others of us may be feeling challenged by the unexpected directions our roads are taking us. Wherever you may be on your journey, now is a great moment to pause and reflect.

As the quote states above, self-discovery is about the journey, not the destination. How have you grown in the last two months? Where do you hope to improve? Who has supported you? By taking a break to reflect, we can recognize our own inner strengths and treat ourselves with the self-compassion we need.

TOOLS FOR SELF-DISCOVERY

Be Compassionate Toward Yourself. While this is often easier said than done, remember that there are MANY ways to be compassionate toward yourself. Check out this toolkit for some suggestions!
Look for Joy in Your Life. Acknowledging joy in your life does not mean ignoring your pain or sadness. Rather, finding joy can mean recognizing the small and big things that boost your soul and encourage you to keep going even during challenging times.
Identify Your Strengths. We all have strengths that motivate us and help us through difficult dilemmas, but identifying them can be tricky. Sometimes just starting with the activities you enjoy or what others have complimented you on can be a good start.

Remember, you got this! Best wishes as you journey on! 💙

Check out the complete February 2026 Newsletter focused on Self-Discovery here.

Finding Gentle Joy

“Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”

— A.A. Milne

Oh how I wish my caregiving was full of rainbows, unicorns, and sunshine all the time. Just as in life, caregiving comes with its good days and bad days, its joys and its sorrows. There have been more days than I can count where I’d love to push the “easy” button.

Self-DiscoveryKristi HornerFebruary 5, 2026Joy, Micro-Joy, Finding Joy, What Brings You Joy?, joy

The Entanglement of Joy

“(Joy is) the light that emanates from us when we help each other carry our sorrows. And that notion of joy to me, it sort of suggests something of entanglement.” – Ross Gay

We’ve been talking about finding joy for a long time now because joy is a core emotion that can be so beneficial to caregivers when we need to counteract uncomfortable emotions such as sadness. So it may be surprising to find some new ideas on how to think about joy. Yet, that’s exactly what I discovered when I read the remarkable book Inciting Joy, a collection of essays by poet and author Ross Gay.

Gay focuses on the entanglement of joy. He defines joy as “the ways that we practice our entanglement. … And when I say entanglement, I mean like being fundamentally connected to one another. All of these things like gardening or pick-up basketball or skateboarding or … aspects of school at its best. … There are these sites where we get the opportunity to practice being entangled with one another.”

Self-DiscoveryKristi HornerFebruary 8, 2024Joy, Finding Joy, What Brings You Joy?

What If … We Could Stop Focusing on the “What-Ifs”?

Our topic for this week, finding joy, can be a tricky subject for caregivers. With all the emotions and challenges that we experience as part of our role as caregivers, finding joy for ourselves can be complicated. As we focus on the needs of others, we might put off our need to find joy for ourselves, and we might even feel guilty when we do allow ourselves to feel joy.

Self-DiscoveryKristi HornerFebruary 1, 2023Finding Joy, Joy, Micro-Joy

Finding Joy Starts with Choosing Joy

So much of what we talk about is hard stuff. Caregiving is hard. Focusing on self-care is hard. Tuning out all of the negatives from external sources is hard. But this week’s topic – What brings you joy? – really can be easy if you have the right mindset … even if you feel exhausted from compassion fatigue, pandemic fatigue, or just plain old fatigue.

Dream BigKristi HornerJanuary 20, 2022What Brings You Joy?, Joy, Micro-Joy

Allow Yourself to Feel Joy

Look inside yourself for what brings you joy … what fills your soul. That’s more sustainable than anything that can come from the outside, and some people can even steal your joy. Our joy is up to us to define … and to keep.

Dream BigKristi HornerJanuary 21, 2021Joy, Micro-Joy

What Gives You Micro-Joy?

If you’re looking for a new hobby or outside interest, start by thinking about what brings you joy. What are those things that bring a smile to your face and make your heart sing when you just think about them? What fills YOUR soul?

Outside InterestsKristi HornerOctober 8, 2020Joy, Micro-Joy, Hobbies, Creative Expression