Be Gentle with Yourself

“With all the spiritual and recovery work I have done, I should be able to glide right through this.” These are the words that have been subconsciously with me as I am transitioning into life without my sister. But grief lives in the emotional system and cannot be ignored. Recently it simply “caught up with me.” After a day of misery, I realized I was being harsh with myself, taking a “get over it” stance with my inner being.

My mother had a poem hanging on the wall of her home entitled “Desiderata.” A portion of it says: “Be gentle with yourself.” Those words came to mind as I realized the different way I needed to talk to myself. Today my words are gentle.

You write it: In what way do you need to be more gentle with yourself?