Gentle January

"When you move with gentleness,
life softens its edges to meet you."

- Anonymous

As winter settles and the big meals, festive noises and glitter fade, January can feel a little flat and grey (blue even!). I always like a bit of trivia, so here it is … January was named after Janus the Roman god as a symbol of beginnings and endings (often depicted with 2 faces that look to the past and the future).

In nature, January is designed for slower pace and quiet recalibration. So instead of focusing frenetically on new year resolutions (which frankly are often forgotten by the 1st of Feb), perhaps we can step more gently and deliberately into intentions.

We live in a world that is becoming louder, faster, more competitive and forceful every day. Gentleness, by contrast, whispers softly to us. It can be easily mistaken for weakness or fragility, when it actually is a superpower! A strength that soften edges, a steady and powerful element of resilience.

If we are attentive we can spot gentleness in the smallest moments: making your morning cuppa without clattering your spoon, speaking to yourself the way you would speak to a friend, giving that driver who cut you off the benefit of the doubt (they might be lost or rushing to something important, perhaps having a particularly bad day).

Gentleness is in:

• the pause before we react when we are tired and irritable

• the way we give ourselves permission to rest without guilt

• the sigh allowing our shoulders to drop

• the steady hand on the volume dial when life becomes too loud

It invites presence rather than pressure, curiosity rather than criticism.

When the world feels unsettling and our nervous system is overstimulated, gentleness offers a different frequency. It is not about pretending everything is fine, it is about meeting ourselves and others with a softer touch.

Gentleness ripples around us. Showing up in how we greet the day, how we listen. It softens conversations and strengthens relationships. We should have it in our selfcare kit, just like we have WD-40 in our toolbox, ready to be applied in all circumstances.

So, coming back to our January intentions, perhaps the bravest thing we can do is bring more gentleness in the world, to each other and especially to ourselves.

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This month, I offer you:

a gentle start to the year

If this resonates with you and you are not sure where to start, I have created something simple but nourishing for the month ahead.

Gentle January is a 7-day journey designed to help you ease into the new year with small daily practices and mindful pauses that fit into real life. An invitation to explore what gentleness might look like for you in 2026.

• • • • •

Individually and collectively let’s create space for gentleness this New Year and dare to be the change you want to see in your organisation, family, community and life!

Image Credit: Photo by Mira Kemppainen on Unsplash