Finding Loving Kindness by Monica Gelinas

The holiday season wraps us in greetings, cards, traditions and celebrations. 

It is a time to extend specific words and  phrases to others all throughout our day, without a thought of judgment. It is a natural response to the holiday season. 

As the season comes to a close, our gracious greetings fall away. 

This is when I revisit my Self-Compassion practices. One of the components of self compassion is self-kindness. 

One of the exercises in my program training was creating loving kindness phrases for ourselves and others. It is a very powerful and simple practice. 

I ask myself these questions:

What would I delight in hearing right now?

Then I listen deeply to my heart. 

What do I need to hear in my joyful and painful moments?

How can I be kind to myself? 

I write down the phrases, read them aloud and record them. It is amazing the power of listening to my own voice of loving kindness. To me. I listen to them often and write new ones as I navigate my life journey. It keeps me connected to myself, it boosts my mood and frees me from depending too much on others to “fill” me up. It actually takes only a few seconds to do this, but the return is an abundance of well-being.

It is a treasure of love and a gift to myself.

I am empowered to also practice loving kindness phrases for others. 

 I have learned to pause, see all who are in my vision and silently say:

“May you have peace and be free from suffering.”

As I drive, as I sit in airports, as I wait for a meeting to start, enjoy a family dinner, work event, anytime I am in public, I have the opportunity to silently spread loving kindness.

I have found, the more I practice loving kindness for myself, the more I give loving kindness to others.

I call it my silent gift of well-being.  It is the intention of the heart that opens the door to receive love. 

This holiday season, let's extend the spirit of kindness beyond the festive cheer. Discover the transformative power of self-compassion and loving-kindness.

Take a moment for yourself:

• Listen to your heart: What words of encouragement do you need?

• Practice self-kindness: Write down loving phrases and listen to them often.

• Spread the love: Silently offer peace and freedom from suffering to those around you.

  
  

By nurturing yourself and others with kindness, you'll unlock a wellspring of joy, peace, and resilience.

Let's make every day a holiday of the heart.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails. 

I Corinthians 13:7-8