Lately I’ve been really working on coming from a place of love. I have been so frustrated with certain aspects of my life, the world and others, that I lost sight of the blessings that I have been given.
So these days, I’m trying to come at situations and people with feelings of love and compassion more than anything else. Less anger, less frustration, less judgement. And sometimes, this means putting my real feelings aside, pushing them to the back and caring for someone or a situation in a different way than I would like to – because that is what that situation calls for or that particular person or even I need(s).
This is no easy feat for me – for two reasons. The first being that I never really learned how to “flow” or relax or take things lightly. So I’m practicing that. The second being that because I tend to care a lot and be very emotional and empathetic (I may be an empath, I’m not 100% sure), so I either cut those feelings off and end up being harsh or I get too invested and feel the need to help or fix the situation or person by any means necessary, which is unhealthy.
So here are a few things I’ve been doing to help combat these challenges and come from a place of love:
- Put the other person’s needs first (to an extent)
Say you have a friend that really needs support on a particular issue, but you need support as well. Try your best to find a balance. If they have been supporting you for quite some time, it’s your turn to step up and be there for them. Then maybe after a little while, they can switch back to being your shoulder to lean on and so on and so forth. It can be hard, really hard at times, but being a good friend means not being selfish and supporting that person in their time of need. If you feel that the support is not being reciprocated and the person does indeed have the capacity to do so, have a talk with them and let them know how you feel. Sometimes clear communication is the best way to resolve a simple imbalance or clear up a misunderstanding – maybe that person truly doesn’t have the capacity to be there for you at that time and a conversation would help you to learn that. - Meditation, Yin Yoga, & Breathwork
These two things almost always help me to get into a peaceful and loving state of mind. I don’t currently go to any classes for these, I simply use books or YouTube, which a makes it easy to fit these practices in at home. Try meditating with some rose quartz or selenite, or diffusing uplifting or calming essential oils during either practice. Some of my favorites are Grounding, Release, Valor, Sacred Frankincense, and Joy – all from Young Living. And I love adding a little Lavender to any of these. If you’re interested in pure and healthy essential oils and you’d like to check out Young Living and get a starter kit, click here. - Learn to love yourself
This is something I try to work on a little bit every day – being more forgiving, more gentle and more understanding of myself. Check in with your thoughts and how you’re thinking about and talking to yourself. Work to keep things on a more positive note internally and build yourself up (this is what I struggle with). If you don’t fill up your own cup, how can you give love and support to others? It needs to start with you, even if that means baby steps. - Be a champion for the people in your life, but don’t push them
Sometimes you may want to really get a friend, family member or significant other to get going on a certain path or pick them up and give them a push, be on them and be their coach. And sometimes that’s what people need and that’s great. But other times, people aren’t receptive to that or aren’t quite ready to embark on that part of their journey and you need to remember that you can be there for someone without being their coach, but by being their cheerleader instead. Listen and respect where they are and what they need and don’t need. This will help avoid any frustration on both sides. Otherwise, that’s just more stress on you and the relationship and that won’t help anything or anyone in the end. - Know that you don’t have to have all of the answers
As I mentioned earlier, I always want to fix things for people and make them happy, but the truth is we sometimes don’t have the ability to at that time, or ever with certain situations. You have to remember that you don’t always have to have all of the answers and you don’t have to be hard on yourself if you don’t. And if you do find yourself searching for something to say, try to turn the negatives into positives. Come at their situation with love and understanding, not judgement, but gently try to show them the light at the end of the tunnel if you can see it and they can’t. That’s really all you can do. But in the end, a lot of times a listening ear and a hug can go a long way. - Practice turning the negatives into positives
As mentioned above – don’t just do this for your friends, but do it for yourself as well! Every time you have a negative thought, try to catch yourself and flip it to turn it into a positive one. The more you practice doing this, the easier it will become and slowly that negativity will start to slip away. - Nurture something
Whether it be an animal, plant, or even your crystals (programming perhaps), nurturing and taking care of something almost forces us to come from a place love. It allows us an outlet for caring, curing, loving, and nurturing in the simplest form. And as we watch that animal learn and love us back, that plant flourish or feel those crystals help us to feel and harness their energy, we get a bit of satisfaction. We become proud and it prompts us to continue nurturing and coming towards these things from a place of love and light.
I hope that at least a couple of these resonated with you. Like I said, for me this is still a work in progress, but an important one. I’d love to hear how you practice coming from a place of love in the comments below!
