NEW ROUTINE FOR A NEW YEAR
BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF.
By JAYNE MORRIS.
In our lives it is easy to get caught up in the go, go, go and rush, rush, rush – so much so that we are constantly pushing ourselves to keep going; filling each moment with doing something productive and forcing ourselves to give more and more.
The problem with this is that it is not sustainable and we end up tired out and running on autopilot, rather than living in the ‘moment’.
I keep being reminded through guidance when I speak to my angels that we need to be gentle with ourselves. Gentle with our bodies and minds, and gentle with each other. Nurturing ourselves. Healing ourselves. Loving ourselves.
When you think about nature, there is no rush or forcefulness. Things happen with ease and gentle strength. Yet as busy people, with busy modern lives, we often do the opposite. Getting caught up with pressures that we put on ourselves, to get everything done yesterday!
The irony is, that the more we slow down and go easy on ourselves, the more productive we actually become, because we start operating from a place of peace, rather than pressure and fear. From this place of peace we are more able to tune into our intuition and therefore able to think with more clarity and be more creative.
Focusing on your breath is a great way to help check whether you are being gentle with yourself. If your breath is relaxed and calm, then you will feel relaxed and calm.
Begin to notice how your breath changes at times when you feel stressed and are pushing yourself too hard. Just by taking a few deep breathes you can completely change your mental and physical state. Inhaling and exhaling oxygen slowly and purposefully helps your body to relax and refresh itself, helps your mind to unwind and clear and helps your soul to communicate messages from your inner guidance system.
It also opens up your senses so that you can receive guidance from your angels.
Here are my five tips for being more gentle with yourself;
1. Start your day as gently as possible – Ease yourself into the morning by taking three deep breaths before you get out of bed. Take time to notice how you are feeling about the day ahead. If you have any worries about the day, ask your angels to help you overcome any challenges. Let go of any fears as you breathe out. Trust that all will be fine.
2. Practice Positive Talk – If you notice your ego interjecting during the day with any negative talk, like ‘hurry up’, ‘you’re not good enough’, ‘you can’t do this’ – take a deep breath and give yourself a positive affirmation in it’s place like ‘it’s okay to take my time’, ‘I am worth it’, ‘I can do this, I can do anything’.
3. Create Me Time – Allow yourself at least 20 minutes of ‘ME’ time every day – spend this time doing something gentle, like daydreaming, soaking in the bath, listening to relaxing music, stroking your pet, doodling, writing a journal, or anything else you enjoy.
4. Take Small Steps – If you feel overwhelmed at any stage in the day with a long to do list, or too many things to get done at once, take a deep breath and release any tension you are holding in your body. Ask yourself ‘If I could only do one task now, what would it be?’ Then act on that task calmly with the peace of mind that you can only do one thing at a time. When you finish that task, ask yourself the same question again and move on to the next thing you need to do, completing it in the same way, with gentleness.
5. Celebrate The Good Things – Congratulate yourself for all the great things you achieve by being gentle with yourself as you go along throughout the day. At the end of the day focus on the best things that happened to you, rather than things you didn’t manage to accomplish. If you can, share the best thing that happened to you or your proudest achievement of the day with someone else. This could be with a loved one over dinner, a friend on the phone, whilst chatting to your dog, or in your head to your angels. Remember to thank the angels for their help!
About the Author
Jayne Morris is the founder of Power-Up Coaching™ which combines life coaching, meditation, visualisation, martial arts, angelic healing and integrative arts therapy. See:www.jaynemorris.com