Inspiration to support your body, mind and spirit: your whole.

Self-Compassion

The folks at Happify produced an infographic (clicking on the graphic will conveniently take you to Pinterest) that puts science behind self-compassion. So if you think you need an excuse to be nice to yourself, perhaps this will do the trick:

Sweet Silliness

A toddler was asked to choose her mom's clothing for five days. The results: interesting, edgy, and sweetly silly. Here's an example:What I love about this practice, aside from the empowerment provided to the child from his fabulous mom, is its illustration of courageous whimsy; courageous because the woman stepped out in public in her toddler's fashion choices, and whimsy because the choices are, overall, full of just that.I think we could all stand for some courageous whimsy in our lives - or more courageous whimsy, if it already exists there. This week, perhaps you could give yourself permission to step away from the norm and the expected, and the accepted as you might perceive them through other people's lenses, and step into the whimsical. Pick a day, pick an outfit, and pick your sweetly silly side.You can view the whole article and the rest of the outfits on Babble, here.

Soul Sounds

Ambient sounds can set, or even change, a mood. They can also offer inspiration, comfort, grounding, or a much-needed boost. There are two great sites that offer up what I like to think of as sound therapy because of the benefits certain sounds can provide.I heard of Coffitivity several months ago. While I don't use it very often, it's fantastic for bringing the subtle sounds of a coffee shop - a place where many entrepreneurs and writers find they can get a lot of work accomplished (and not just because of the caffeine buzz) - or even Paris into your home workspace. (Peals of Paris to write by? Absolutely! (However, you need a premium account for that. Darn!))A couple of days ago, I got wind of A Soft Murmur through a post on LifeHacker. It offers an array of 10 ambient sounds that you can play singly, or combine at will. Think: rain, crickets, wind, birds, and more; soul sounds. (Waves and singing bowl? Yes, please!) This site also has an Android app, so you can take your soul sounds anywhere.

What's Your Take?

Do you like working with some kind of background noise? Of the 10 sounds on A Soft Murmur, which one (or combination of two or more) speaks to your soul?