By Brandon Alter:
It happens. Maybe it's the moon, maybe it's your mother, maybe it's Monday—some days we just don't feel our best. And you know what? That's okay.
Life is a full spectrum affair, and part of that spectrum is gray, and brown, and mottled yellow.
But I think the very worst thing we can do when we are feeling down is to beat ourselves up for it. It's like, we're already on the floor, now let's kick ourselves? What's that gonna do?
The medicine for a case of deep-water depression is gentleness.
When we are gentle with ourselves and others,
we relieve the tension that darkness brings.
I understand that some days you are so low even that feels unattainable. Some days even your favorite song can't bring the rhythm back to your bones. And that's nothing to be ashamed of.
If you have the courage to face your "feels" head on, the least you can do is gently pat yourself on the back for fighting the good fight, for not going numb, for not running away from the truth of your emotional reality.
Let's practice being gentle today. Let's get good at getting soft.
When you start to hear the voice in your head that wants to punish you for not being successful enough, or strong enough, or pretty enough, gently remind it that you are doing the best you can.
Take yourself in your own arms and be sweet to yourself. There is no downside to being gentle. It's not a weakness, it's not a liability. It's a salve, a balm for the bruised.
Give yourself a break, cut yourself some slack—and just for one day see just how gently you can treat yourself.
I'm holding the space for you, step inside and discover just how POWERFUL being gentle can be. xxoo