The last few days have been a case study in living softer. A week ago I decided I wanted to try out a new format for Be Softer, so I installed some new software. Unfortunately, this had the unforeseen effect of taking down the current blog! Sorry if you were checking in for up-to-the-minute news in being softer!

As I was about to head out of town for a few days when it happened, there was literally nothing for me to do except accept that the site would be down for that time. And it’s taken me another couple of days to fix the issue.

But I resisted the urge to freak out. In fact, my first reaction was laughter at the enforced softness after my trying to squeeze in “just one more thing” right before travelling. One of my realizations over the week has been that Be Softer isn’t a site that requires urgency on anyone’s part. Me stressing out about posting daily clearly is not part of the Be Softer way.

And I know all too well what it is to have an RSS feeder that is constantly letting me know that I have over 1000 messages to read from blogs about decluttering and minimizing and simplifying! I don’t need to add to someone else’s “must” list!

So I will indeed be reorganizing the site over the coming weeks to create a space for resources and ideas, that can be accessed on an as-desired basis, rather than required daily reading (and posting). In the meantime, I will continue to post ideas and links here in the blog, and still welcome your feedback. And I’ll create a forum to make the site a place where everyone can share their knowledge, experience and soft places and people they’ve come across.

Thanks for sharing in this experiment with me!

Here’s a stress-relief technique that’s 100% free and always available:

Take a deep breath. Let it out. Repeat.

In more detail: Breathe in through your nose for several seconds. Breathe deeply than normal – allow the air to fill your belly and raise your diaphragm. Hold it there for a few seconds. Now exhale through your mouth, blowing it out with sound if that helps. Allow your belly to relax and deflate. Let your shoulders drop. Visualize calm, cool air flowing in and stress flowing out.

Your brain will be more alert from extra oxygen, your muscles will relax, and you will give your mind a few seconds rest from thinking, by focusing on the breathing.

It’s surprising how easy it is to forget to breathe in a relaxed way! On an especially stressful day, you can set a timer to remember to do this every couple of hours.

If you are reading this, that means you are blessed to be literate, have access to electricity, access to technology, and a place to sit inside (or the resources to have mobile internet access). If you’re reading this on your own computer, you’re almost certainly in the world’s top 5-10% of wealth.

I’ve spent the last few days enjoying the luxury of a road trip with my partner, visiting with a friend, and enjoying professional sports with tens of thousands of other people. When I hear people around me complain about some small inconvenience, I want to remind them how very lucky we all are to be where we are.

But it’s easy to forget. It’s easy to focus on all the things we don’t have, the things that aren’t going right, the people who haven’t treated us the way we want to be treated. When I find myself forgetting, I pull out my gratitude journal and enter 10 things every day that I’m grateful for. I use the #grateful and #gratitude tags on Twitter. Could be oatmeal. Could be sunshine. Could be having a bed to sleep in and blankets and heat to keep me warm.

I find when I am consistently grateful, life becomes even easier and more blessed – things flow more effortlessly. I see the Universe as constantly showering us with presents. Who is more fun to give presents to: someone who is grateful and cheers each new gift, sharing her blessings with everyone around her? Or someone who shrugs and complains and hoards and constantly asks for more?

If I want a new present, wouldn’t it be a good idea to send a thank you letter for the ones I’ve already received?

In honour of World Vegetarian Day/Month, this would be a great weekend to experiment with kicking the meat habit.

What does eating vegetarian have to do with being softer?

It’s kinder to your body – Since cholesterol comes from animal “products”, vegetarians have way lower cholesterol levels, and hence lower rates of heart disease and stroke. Vegetarians also have lower weight, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of cancer and diabetes.

It’s kinder to the Earth – 18% of greenhouse gases come from meat production, versus 13% from cars. In North America, half of all water resources, one-third of all fossil fuels, 70% of grains, and 80 percent of agricultural land are used to raise animals for food.

It’s kinder to animals – Do I need to explain this one? By going vegetarian, you can save around 100 animals a year. If you need incentive, and are ready to find out where your meat comes from, watch this very unsoft video.

It’s so yummy!

I’ve been a vegetarian for 17 years now, but I know being a full-time vegetarian it’s not for everyone. But just like cutting your electricity use or car use, cutting your meat intake by whatever percentage you can manage will help make the world a softer place.

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Want to go longer than a day? Here’s a few more resources:

Vegetarian Starter Kit (Or order a hard copy variation)

Making the transition – with recipes!

More recipes!