The sweetness of doing nothing

...giving yourself permission to just be

Sep 22, 2024

Dear friends,

Thank you for opening another Within letter. A click of the ♡ button makes a difference. So does sharing these pieces.

Rosie’s waterfall, Galloway Forest Scotland

Days when my soul yearns to be closer
to the heart of the things I love
are the days I give myself permission
to become lost in my own space.

Each time I set an intention to do nothing but simply be, and soften into the day: rest, sleep, read, dance, eat, I feel at my happiest.

Something re-sets, gratitude arises, well-being flows, and my heart feels like a flower about to burst into bloom.

There is something powerful about setting an intention – it feels as though you are giving yourself permission in advance; preparing your mind that you plan to get still, and quiet, and loving towards yourself.

When you lay down a plan to do nothing, affirm it, speak it out loud, the mind seems to oblige. It creates some space, some silence for you—as though it too wants the rest. In return, you are cultivating a feeling of security and safety for the mind. And I think that’s all it truly needs.

Setting the intention to do nothing but be with yourself feels like both an offering and a blessing—something always arises out of the space of nothing; something you’ve been putting off appears and somehow feels softer and easier to face. Or, something you’ve been thinking about doing but not known where to start opens up without any effort, unfolds, and we see it with clarity, courage.

Suddenly, the sweetness of doing nothing turns into everything beautiful about being alive.

“Being Slow means that you control the rhythms of your own life. You decide how fast you have to go in any given context. If today I want to go fast, I go fast; if tomorrow I want to go slow, I go slow. What we are fighting for is the right to determine our own tempos.”
— Carlo Petrini

Being with yourself is entirely enough

We spend too much time feeling like we have to be someone, do something, and be somewhere that we forget the value, and the truth that just being with ourselves, as ourselves, is entirely enough.

In the space of doing nothing, everything that is right for you will appear, because you have created the space for everything right to arise without any pressure; without any expectation.

When you give yourself permission to do nothing, you are resting, reconnecting, shifting, softening, and creating a space to be close to what is here right now.

And this is all the Universe ever wants from you.

In the space of doing nothing you will find out something

In the space of doing nothing, you will get to find out about who you truly are. You will open up a space for living more intuitively, and with clearer intentions.

Use this space to notice if there are certain patterns arising. Perhaps you will become aware of the little things that keep appearing in your life – especially the little things that trip you up and keep you feeling stuck. Find out why they keep showing up – what are they trying to teach you? And instead of blaming yourself, or feeling as though life is coming at you, or pushing against you, start to look within and find out if you are holding onto certain beliefs about what you think you deserve. We attract a reflection of how we feel about ourselves; so use this time to affirm your worth, and embed it into yourself; embody it.

Your concept of yourself determines the kind of flowers that bloom in your life. Spend time alone discovering if there are any changes you need to make to ensure you are attracting everything that matches the value you place upon yourself.

Tender reminder:

If, in the act of doing nothing, something painful arises, you must give yourself permission to cry. Because this gives the pain behind the feeling the space to be heard, and felt, and validated. When you weep, you are softening your pain in the same way rain softens the Earth. Never feel ashamed for resting, and weeping, and surrendering to the depths of your pain.

This is self-care.
This is growth.
And this is why doing nothing becomes everything
that matters.

“Being with myself, healing myself,
is like a tender gathering, a confession:
to the voice I silenced when I struggled
to be understood
to the body I punished for
the self-perceived flaws
to the heart I took for granted
the scars I tucked away
the pain I kept alive.
Being with myself, healing myself
is like an act of forgiveness.”

Bloom for Yourself

Softly, April x

Going Within

My self-study course Going Within shares all the tools, techniques and creative rituals I undertake on a daily basis to stay aligned with my authentic self, and live a life of clarity, peace and joy.

This is a self-study course with lifetime access to paid subscribers.

Thank you for reading. Sending love and light, April

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