The past few weeks have been particularly raw for me. Feeling into all the feels, a lot of things have been coming up. Certainly, some of them have been easier to work through than others.
For a while now, I have been asking for and setting an intention around grace. Grace in the way that I treat myself. Grace in the way that I handle situations with others. Grace in the way I work. Even grace in the way that I go after my dreams.
While most days it is easy to choose and practice grace in my life, there are some days that are a bit more challenging. On days when my inner gremlin shows up. When a situation upsets me. When I find myself being more reactive than proactive. On those days, it’s definitely harder to find grace. However, I remind myself that I am constantly a work in progress. Everyday I dedicate time and energy to be intentional about working towards my highest good, and showing up as the best version of myself for me, my family, my friends, and all those I come in contact with.
Today, reminding myself of all of my hard work and dedication to this healing journey was the biggest gesture of grace I could have shown myself, and I wanted nothing more than to share this lesson with you.
The Definition of Grace
Grace has two definitions, according to Google:
Simple elegance or refinement of movement
Courteous goodwill
While courteous goodwill feels appropriate here, I find inspiration in viewing grace as the simple elegance or refinement of movement. Feeling into this definition, my mind certainly doesn't go to an image of me walking into everything around my house. Instead, it goes to an image of a river with water elegantly flowing downstream, moving through cracks in the Earth with ease, and moving over jagged rocks until they are smooth and shiny.
If we use this image and definition of grace, then we can also imagine ourselves in a state of elegant movement in our lives, flowing through all situations. If we work on cultivating more grace, the jagged edges that trigger emotional responses will eventually soften.
Adopting & Cultivating Grace
Cultivating grace has been essential in working through the parts of me that need healing. By showing up with grace, I have been able to handle more and more situations with love and kindness. Through my own practice and reflection, I have found the following four ways to be so amazingly helpful in cultivating more grace in my life.
Pause & Breathe: Feel your feet on the floor. The air in your lungs. The colors in your surroundings. Pause and breathe into the present, creating space to practice gratitude, acknowledge yourself, or surrender to the situation at hand.
Practice Gratitude: Take a moment and picture something, someone, some place, or some experience that you are grateful for. Recently, so much research has been published on gratitude and the positive changes it has on the brain. By being thankful and focusing on the good, we can quickly and powerfully shift our energy.
Acknowledge & Accept Yourself: Sometimes, we forget to reflect on our growth when we are going about our day to day. When you find yourself experiencing negative self-talk, acknowledging and accepting yourself as you are is a beautiful way to show yourself grace. Accept yourself, acknowledge how far you’ve come, and give yourself a hug. Love yourself in the way you need to be shown love in that moment. Love is our greatest strength.
Surrender & Have Faith: Remember that everything in this life happens for you. Surrendering to all moments, good or bad, allows you to live in grace. Trust that whatever comes up, comes up for a reason. Maybe it's to celebrate yourself, maybe it's so that something can be cleared away. Your life is your greatest teacher. Surrender and listen to what it is trying to tell you.
Affirmations
Here are some affirmations on grace that resonated with my heart:
I invite and allow grace in all areas of my life.
I flow with grace and ease.
I communicate gracefully with myself and others.
I go through the doors of my destiny with grace and ease.
Journaling Prompts
Here are some journaling prompts to help you think about grace, and how grace shows up in your life:
How do I show myself grace? How often do I show myself grace?
What areas of my life are in need of more grace? How do I know they need more grace?
Which practice do I feel most called to use to cultivate grace when faced with challenging situations?
In this life, we always have a choice. So why not choose grace?
With all the love and light in my heart,
Stephanie