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

February Newsletter: Finding Yourself Again ... The Journey of Self-Discovery

During my hardest caregiving days, I felt as if I had lost myself - who I was at my very core. I lost sight of myself. It's as if I hit "pause" on my play button - in order to care for others so they could move "forward". In the meantime, during that pause, I was lost.

It took me a LONG time to notice and ultimately figure out why I was struggling. I had to find peace with focusing on ME again. I had to remind myself that taking care of me, too, is NOT selfish. It allows me to reclaim WHO I am, WHAT I'm doing and WHY it matters.

Throughout February as we explored our theme of Self-Discovery we dug deep to find more joy, identified our strengths and opportunities for growth, and worked hard on our self-compassion.

Self-discovery is the journey of finding your true self. It is a fundamental component of your journey of personal growth. It leads to greater self-awareness and helps you understand and regulate your emotions.

Self-discovery is a journey. Think of yourself as a perpetual perfectly imperfect work in progress.

It's about exploring your passions, examining your life, and taking steps towards personal fulfillment.

Check out our entire February newsletter focused on Self-Discovery here.

Self-DiscoveryKristi HornerFebruary 23, 2023Self-Compassion, Finding Joy, joy, Micro-Joy, Identifying Your Strengths

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

January Newsletter: You can be a dreamer ... and a doer, too!

Under our theme of DREAM BIG this month, we started with our vision for ourselves. Our vision clarifies our values and includes goals around those values. We explored creating your personal timeline, identifying your core values and personal mission statement, as well as focusing on what brings you joy.

It turns out that VISION is the most important domain of resilience. This is because all the other domains focus on what you want to achieve, and you can't take action to achieve something without a VISION!

Are you a dreamer? (I am!) Dreaming is all about envisioning a way forward. Looking ahead at the person you aspire to be. It requires digging deep and sometimes being vulnerable. It can be scary and exciting at the same time.

With YOUR vision for YOUR life, you know where you are headed. It's literally your roadmap for this journey of life.

Check out our January Newsletter focused on DREAMING BIG here.

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