Softening, instead of striving (and why softness doesn't equal weakness)

When we begin to unravel the shields that keep our heart (seemingly) protected- shields like perfectionism, control, striving, people pleasing, micromanaging performing, pushing and forcing- we find that the softened heart can feel everything.

And because we haven’t been taught how to gently hold our natural sensitivities, how to be both protected and tender both at once, we struggle to believe that it’s safe to rest in this state of tender openness.

We think that our tenderness is a weakness, and in this, we’re subtly convinced to keep the barriers around our heart alive.

There is so much out there teaching women to “rise”, telling us that we can be more, do more, and have more.

Yet so often, this can be used as another shield to keep a woman from softening into the vulnerability of her heart.

The push-pull of this is something that I sense a lot right now.

A yearning to soften, yet the loud voices of our collective telling us we’re weak, or silly, for stopping the striving.

I’ve learnt though, that the most natural and potent path of the feminine, is always found in softening…

read on

This full piece of writing now lives in the ‘Soften & Bloom ebook’ if you would like to read more.

Belinda x