A dose of gentleness

Your Journal Prompts This Week:

What does it mean to be gentle to oneself?

In what ways have I shown compassion and kindness to myself during challenging times?

How can I be more gentle with myself in my daily life?

You might have noticed I've been a little quiet these last few weeks--I hope you haven't missed your journal prompts too much! I had a lot going on, and it turned out I needed a little break, for many reasons: to physically and mentally rest, to reassess what I do and why I do it, and to get quiet and hear my own voice on the next best steps to take.

Rather than beat myself up for not showing up, I've decided to be gentle and kind to myself for slowing down when I needed to. There's so much pressure these days to do all the things, and to be communicating and sharing our thoughts constantly. But I've always been one who preferred to really allow my ideas, thoughts, and opinions to take shape before I share them--and sometimes that takes me awhile. Sometimes I might have a lot to say, and sometimes I might need a break.

It reminds me a little of high school English class, when I couldn't stand how much of our grade was based on group discussion "participation." Anyone else remember that? All the top kids in the class were constantly fighting to be heard and to be the loudest voice in the room. I used to feel bad that I didn't want to be one of those people, and that my grade could suffer as a result. But then I decided that I wanted to be the type of person that when I raised my hand, you knew I definitely had something to say. I wanted to be the person who surveyed and assessed all aspects (the journalist in me) and didn't speak just to be heard or because someone told me I had to. Social media, however, can sometimes make being this type of person feel difficult: you always feel in a race to have something to say. I had to learn the hard way in the early years of social media that firing off quick, reactionary posts, never sits well with me in the long term.

Accepting this part of myself--the one that needs more time and space, that needs to take breaks--is part of me being kind and gentle to myself. Even when I feel the pressure to keep up, I want to stay true to who I am. So this week, I wanted to share some journal prompts to help you think of how you might be kinder and gentler to yourself, as you are now.

As always, let me know what comes up for you in your journaling! And stay tuned for news on what's coming next with these newsletters. I will be switching email platforms soon and offering something new!

With much love & gratitude,
Marcy

P.S. Catch up on Soulpreneur Sundays episodes! Our latest episode is all about your 9-to-5 exit plan. Listen on Apple Podcasts or watch on YouTube. If you've listened, we'd love to hear your feedback!

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