Gentleness With Self

 You’ve heard me say be gentle with yourself but do you?
 
Sometimes we get mad if we don’t have the energy or stamina to do this or that. That’s not being gentle, that’s being demanding. And our awesome bodies keep up with those demands, until they no longer can and they collapse in exhaustion or illness. 
 
Truly stop for a moment right now, tune into your body, and if it’s saying it needs rest or downtime, would you honor that, or would you push through it and ignore it? What if it said it needed a bath or a gentle walk versus a vigorous cardio/weight routine? Could you do that or would you let your mind tell you to keep going and not slow down? Your mind, which is really the ego here, would love you to be a slave driver to your body and tell you that gentleness is weak and that you’ll fall behind if you don’t do, do, do. 
 
Be aware when you push through fatigue, stay awake longer than you should, and not honor what your body is telling you. You might eat crappy food and then get mad when it can’t digest it. You might get mad at it for not being able to exercise the way you want. How about instead, you value your body and all it does for you? Your body has limits; honor those without getting angry and nasty towards it when it can’t do what you want it to do.
 
Even if you tell me you eat healthy and listen to your body, how about what you feed your mind? Do you allow negative self-talk? And how about the stress you put yourself through? 
 
There’s a book by David Zerfoss called, Stress is a Choice. Think about that - stress is a choice. It may take a moment to take that in. It may even anger you: what about bills needing paid or having to work or, or, or. Yes, what about them? How do you react to them? They are just things, everything is a choice as to how you react. Nothing is in your control except your thoughts and how you react.
 
We spend in inordinate amount of time being unhappy about situations and then do nothing to change them. And when we do try to change them, if it doesn’t happen immediately or the way we want, we stress more and take it out on ourselves, out on our bodies, by over indulging or pushing ourselves even harder.
 
We come into bodies to learn and grow. When you hit pockets of pain on any level, instead of trying to hurt or punish yourself, have love and compassion for what you’re going through. Make friends with your body. It’s supporting you in your growth. It’s not bad. It hurts sometimes and needs rest but that doesn’t mean you should punish it. As you love it and heal it, it can do more of what you ask of it.
 
I’m not saying it’s easy, I’m saying it’s a mindset shift. Don’t wait for illness or loss to make you slow down and be gentle, take the time and space now that you need for your health. Don’t wait for the catastrophe to get your attention. Focus on your wellness now. 
 
And that starts with what you feed your mind and how you honor your body and it’s needs.
 
Fall is here- naturally bodies start to slow down, getting ready for winter. Even if you live in a sunny environment, you can still honor the rhythms of life and go within more. 
 
You are valuable regardless of what stories you tell yourself or what anyone else has ever said to you. So value yourself, value your life, and value your body.
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