Efforting Less: Opening to the Unexpected
A love note from the in-between
I’m in the middle of a move, again.
By now, I’ve become so practiced at it that it almost feels like an art form. Not always a graceful one — but there’s a rhythm to it: packing, sorting, letting go, reimagining life in a new space. It stirs something ancient in me, this process of uprooting and replanting. And every time I do it, I learn something new about the nature of space, both physical and emotional.
What I’ve been noticing lately is how often we fill space, sometimes without even realising it. We fill it with plans, with worry, with overthinking. With trying to hold it all together. We effort our way through the day. Even when we’re tired, even when we know better.
There’s a particular energy I want to speak about: efforting.
It’s subtle, but it runs deep. It’s that quiet hum in the background that says: You should be doing more. You’re falling behind. Just push a little harder and then you’ll feel better.
But the truth is, the more we push, the more life pushes back. And the less room we have for grace to enter.
What if you don’t need to try harder?
Grace is different. It doesn’t shout.
It doesn’t hustle.
It arrives when we stop trying to control the outcome.
Grace is soft.
She slips in through the cracks — in the moment you finally exhale, in the pause between plans, in the space you create by surrendering the need to know.
But here’s the thing: Grace requires space.
And space? Space requires trust.
It’s vulnerable to make space when you don’t know what will come to fill it. It’s vulnerable to release control, to stop efforting, to say: I trust that something good will come.
Yet every time I’ve done this — every time I’ve stepped back, softened, opened — something has arrived.
A new path.
A new home.
A new version of myself.
The timing of grace may not follow the linear path we prefer, but it is always on time.
Your body knows this too.
One of the most beautiful tools I work with is Aroma Point Therapy. It’s a gentle but potent, intuitive practice that combines essential oils with specific acupoints to help the body, mind, and spirit reconnect and rebalance.
Here’s a simple sequence I’ve been leaning into lately — a kind of invitation to grace through the skin, the breath, the nervous system.
Grace & Space: Aroma Point Sequence
Three Oils · Three Points · One Breath at a Time
1. Let Go of Tension & Control
Oil: Lavender (dilute 50%)
Point: Large Intestine 4 (on the web between thumb and index finger)
Why: This point helps release physical and emotional tension, especially that controlling, gripping energy we hold without knowing. Apply the oil here and exhale slowly. Feel what begins to move.
2. Open to Possibility
Oil: Bergamot (dilute 25%)
Point: Pericardium 6 (inside the forearm, 3 finger-widths below the wrist)
Why: This point soothes the heart, helps ease anxiety, and dissolves the emotional armour we wear to survive. When softened, our heart becomes a listening space again — open to what could be.
3. Anchor in Trust
Oil: Neroli or Rose (dilute 10–25%)
Point: CV17 (centre of the chest)
Why: One of the great heart-openers. It helps you feel held, even when the way ahead isn’t clear. Grace flows where trust is present.
You can move through this sequence in 10–15 minutes. Or linger longer. There’s no rush — that’s part of the practice.
This is just a glimpse into what I share inside Aroma Point Mastery a journey for those drawn to soulful wisdom, intuitive healing, plant spirits, and energy medicine. If you’ve ever felt the call to work with essential oils beyond surface-level aromatherapy to truly partner with the plants you’ll love what’s inside.
Explore Aroma Point Mastery here - our next spiral begins in October 2025
If you’ve been feeling the strain of holding it all together...
If you’ve been efforting more than you’ve been receiving...
Maybe today’s the moment to pause. To soften. To open just a little wider.
You don’t have to do it all.
You just have to make space.
And grace will meet you there.
With tenderness, Kirsty