Choose the Gentler Option
Nurturing well-being through making gentle choices
Dear Friends,
Spirit has been offering me the opportunity to make "gentler choices" in my way of living. It’s a journey not just about prioritizing our desires, but about making choices that nurture our well-being and bring peace to our daily lives.
Defining Gentleness
The essence of gentleness is a mindful and compassionate approach to life, prioritizing kindness, patience, and understanding. It involves treating oneself with self-compassion, interacting with others with empathy and respect, and navigating life with intentionality and presence. Gentleness fosters a sense of grace and serenity, creating a ripple effect of kindness and well-being in our daily experiences and relationships.
I move gently with life, avoiding procrastination to prevent the rush to catch up with time, and not overwhelming myself with worries about the next day. One step after another, I move with intention, gently and coherently, with the present moment.
A Personal Shift
I've returned to an energy where my body is asking for self-love and attention to my physical needs. Leaning into yoga, exercise, balancing my diet to reduce sugars and carbs, and drinking more water are practices that come to the forefront whenever this energy resurfaces.
Before this energy emerges, I often experience intense sweet cravings and a sense of hopelessness about my life's direction, which clearly explains why introducing and maintaining better habits has consistently proven challenging for me.
This time, I’ve welcomed the shift with extra sleep and a feel-good movie, "Julie and Julia," which always reconnects me to my feminine roots and gentler state of mind. This film, about two women finding purpose through culinary adventures, inspires me deeply.
Approach to Gentle Choices
With the Aries moon in its last quarter phase, it’s an ideal time to release bad habits and step away from unhealthy situations.
A practical approach to this is like gentle parenting. Instead of insisting a child puts on their shoes, offer them a choice: "Would you like to put your shoes on yourself, or shall I help you?" This way, the child feels empowered and respected, and the shoes still go on.
So instead of pressuring myself to conform to unattainable expectations, I’m asking myself, “how can I make gentler choices throughout the day?” This intention feels perfectly aligned with my body’s needs.
Here are 5 ways I’m honoring this intention, and you can choose or incorporate them into your daily routine too!
1. Choose Hydration
Opt for drinking more water instead of neglecting it as days get busier. Stay mindful by adding affirmations while drinking.
2. Choose Tea Over Coffee
Opt for tea over coffee to explore diverse flavors and brewing techniques, connecting with earth and water elements through this ritual.
3. Choose Morning Walks
Opt for a morning walk instead of sleeping in to positively shift your day and enjoy the refreshing start to summer mornings.
4. Choose Nutritious Snacks
Opt for preparing nutritious snacks rather than reaching for processed options, listening to your body’s cues for what to eat.
5. Choose Yoga
Opt for doing yoga poses while playing with your baby (or without) instead of multitasking other chores, staying centered and present during your time together.
Sustaining the Practice
I don’t want to overwhelm myself with a long list of changes, so these are just a few of what I am prioritizing this time around in hopes that at least some of them will stick.
Remember integration takes time, so also be gentle with yourself if you can’t stick with it some days.
Setting the intention to make gentler choices brings me into the present moment every time I face a decision. I treat the gentler choice like a ritual, reminding myself that I’m doing this for me, and my body will thank me.
One practice that has stayed with me is meditation: I consciously breathe instead of scrolling through my phone and make time to connect with my spirit through prayer at the end of the day, rather than rushing to sleep. This meditation practice has become a foundation for me to integrate more gentler choices and enhance my physical and spiritual well-being.
By framing these as CHOICES rather than additional tasks, I keep my intention clear and maintain a sense of control over my day. Each decision becomes an opportunity to create a gentler reality.
If you’re joining me today in making gentler choices, I wish you love and grace on the unfolding journey of well-being ahead.
Sincerely,
Shaelynn