Welcome to Where It's Soft.
Hi,
My name is Sienna.
I'm someone who has mostly softened again after going through topical steroid withdrawal.
When you're in TSW,
It can feel like you've lost yourself.
Drastically,
Your appearance changes,
Your routines change,
The way you carry yourself changes too.
And it can be easy to believe that you have disappeared somewhere along the way,
Or that you've lost yourself.
You are still you,
And you deserve to treat yourself with kindness and respect,
Especially now more than ever.
Even if you look different,
Even if you suddenly don't feel like enough.
No matter what your skin looks like today,
This practice is a gentle reflection and grounding exercise designed to help you reconnect with that sense of self and to start being gentler with yourself.
You might just find it makes this very rough road just a little softer.
And maybe right now,
That's all that matters.
If at any point something doesn't resonate,
You're allowed to let it pass.
This is a soft place.
Begin by finding a position that feels as comfortable as possible for your body right now.
There's no need to be perfectly still.
If it feels supportive,
Allow your eyes to close or soften your gaze.
Take a slow breath in through your nose and an easy breath out through your mouth.
Let your shoulders drop.
Let your jaw unclench.
Let the muscles in your face soften even slightly.
Notice where you're holding any tension from the day.
There is nothing you need to fix in this moment.
Just a few minutes to arrive exactly as you are.
Now,
Gently bring your attention to how you've been feeling about yourself lately.
You might notice frustration,
Grief,
Or a sense of not recognizing yourself the way you used to.
If any of that is here,
Simply acknowledge it without judgment.
There's no need to push it away or analyze it.
TSW can be a disorienting experience.
When your body changes so suddenly and so completely,
It can start to feel like everything is a potential threat.
Your environment,
Your routines,
Even your own body.
And when your body doesn't feel safe,
It's easy to stop feeling like yourself too.
And maybe you've been a little harsher on yourself lately than normal.
It makes sense that kindness hasn't always felt easy.
It makes sense if you've been hard on yourself,
Impatient with yourself,
Or unsure how to meet yourself in this version of your body.
You are not alone in feeling this way.
It is not something you need to be ashamed of.
It means you're human,
Navigating something genuinely difficult,
Without certainty,
Without a user manual.
Now,
Gently remind yourself,
You are not your skin.
You are not those plans you've had to cancel,
Or the things you've had to let go of for now.
You are not defined by how you look,
Or by the things you can't do the way you used to.
You are someone going through something challenging,
Something unfamiliar,
And something that only you can handle.
It asks a lot of your nervous system,
Your patience,
And your sense of self.
And even in the middle of all of this,
You are still you.
And because you are still you,
You deserve kindness now more than ever.
Not as something that needs to be earned,
Not once things improve,
But here,
In the middle of it.
In the next few minutes,
We'll turn this awareness into a small,
Practical act of kindness that you can carry forward with you and turn to when you need it.
If it feels OK,
When you're ready,
Place one hand over your heart,
Or choose another place that feels steady,
Like your stomach.
Let this moment be intentional,
A moment of calm that you have with yourself.
Now take a slowed breath in,
And a steady breath out,
Even if it feels a little uncomfortable at first,
Even if your body feels unsettled.
Now quietly say to yourself,
I choose to treat myself with kindness right now,
Not once things settle,
Not when you feel better,
But right now.
You don't need to change anything that's happening around you.
You don't need to try to force healing.
Just notice what it's like to choose kindness inside the chaos,
To stay on your own side,
Even when everything feels reactive.
Take another gentle breath,
And if it feels supportive,
Add,
I am allowed to speak to myself with respect,
Even when this feels hard.
Notice how that lands in your body,
Not whether it feels true right now,
Just what it's like to offer it.
Kindness doesn't remove discomfort.
It changes how alone you feel inside it.
Stay here for another breath or two.
Notice what happens when you frame kindness as something you can allow,
Rather than something you have to earn.
As you sit here,
Remember,
Being soft is not a weakness.
It is a strength.
And like any strength,
It's something you build,
Slowly,
With practice.
You are supporting yourself through something that asks a lot of you.
And every moment you choose kindness,
Even for a short moment,
You're reinforcing a sense of safety and steadiness in your body.
You're teaching yourself that you have your own back,
Even when things feel hard.
As we come to the end of this practice,
Notice how your body feels.
You can return to this meditation as often as you need,
While you practice being kinder to yourself.
Take what you need.
Leave the rest.
You're always welcome back here,
Where it's soft.
