Treat Yourself Gently

The fruit of the Spirit is… gentleness.

Galatians 5:22-23

What does it mean to be gentle? Many times we think of a soft touch or handling a fragile object with care. Webster’s Dictionary defines gentleness as “honorable, distinguished, kind, amiable, and free from harshness, sternness, or violence.” While it’s important to treat others with gentleness, acting with gentleness toward yourself is a valuable tool that will allow the challenges of life to strengthen your health and limit setbacks in your progress.

Gentleness is the fruit of the Spirit that God gives us as a gift to handle the difficult times in life. During times of conflict, loss, confusion, change, illness, or stress, many people try unhealthy ways to cope with the situation. Ignoring the issue, trying to handle the issue alone, withdrawing from others, binge eating or starving, lashing out in anger or hurt, seeking comfort in drugs or alcohol, masking the issue with false emotions, or acting out through compulsive behaviors are just some of the methods used to deal with life.

Any of these responses are only futile attempts to gain some control and somehow these actions help us feel “superhuman” but leave us with self-doubt. As the cycle continues, our attempts to control lead to further mental anguish.

Treating yourself gently and allowing the fruit of gentleness to blossom in your life begins by honestly acknowledging that life will have good times and bad times. There is little you can do to avoid the struggles, challenges, and tragedies that will occur. When difficult times come, accept that you are more fragile during those times and treat yourself gently.

Exercise the fruit of gentleness toward yourself in the following ways:

• Give yourself time to deal with the challenges. Healing, recovery, and establishing a “new level of normal” all take time and small steps.
  
• Allow your personal and social expectations to decrease so you can deal with the situation. Cancel unnecessary engagements and prioritize commitments to limit undue stress.
  
• Take a personal retreat to relax, pray, and think. Time away will refresh your mind, emotions, and spirit. Even if you can’t physically leave for a longer time period, taking 20 minutes to be alone in a still, quiet place will clear your mind and reduce the stress on your body. During your alone time, read the Word, pray, and journal.
  
• Take care of your personal needs for rest, proper nutrition, and appropriate exercise activities. Staying healthy will help you better deal with the physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual happenings.
  

Remember, you are not giving up or quitting when you treat yourself with gentleness. You are allowing this gift from God to bring healing. Your opulent health journey will take you through some detours, twists, and turns that may be unexpected, but tending the fruit of gentleness will allow you to grow stronger and more vibrant inside and out.