Welcome.
Thank you for being here.
And for choosing to make yourself a priority today.
This is your Mandala Card of the Day.
A gentle pause to breathe.
Reflect.
And explore.
Before we begin,
I invite you to have a journal or blank page nearby,
Along with a pen.
This session includes time for journaling.
For now,
Allow yourself to settle in.
There's nothing to fix.
Nothing to figure out.
Just this moment.
And this breath.
As you begin to settle fully into this moment.
I invite you to gently close your eyes if that feels comfortable.
Allow your shoulders to soften.
Let your hands rest wherever they feel at ease.
Take a slow breath in through your nose.
Take a gentle exhale out through your mouth.
Again,
Inhale slowly.
And exhale fully.
With each inhale,
Breathe in lightness,
Warmth,
And care.
With each exhale,
Release the weight of everyone else's needs just for this moment.
One more time,
Breathing in steady and calm.
And breathing out long and soft.
Now allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm.
Notice the quiet space you've created.
Notice that you are here,
Present,
Fully aware.
Support it.
And deserving of this moment.
Just as much as anyone you love.
The theme for today is a moment for you.
And I want to begin with something that might reframe everything you've been telling yourself about why you don't have time for this.
You are not exhausted because you are weak.
You are not depleted because you were doing it wrong.
You are exhausted because you've been loving someone through difficulty for a sustained period of time.
And that is one of the most demanding things a human being can do.
Psychologist Charles Figley spent decades studying what happens to people in sustained caregiving roles.
Not just professional caregivers,
But anyone who loves someone who's struggling.
And shows up for them day after day.
With presence,
Patience,
And care.
What he found was both validating and important.
He called it compassion fatigue.
And what he discovered was that compassion fatigue is not burnout.
It is something more specific than that.
Burnout comes from chronic overwork.
Compassion fatigue comes from something deeper.
From the sustained empathetic engagement of being present with another person's suffering.
You do not have to be overworked to experience it.
You simply have to love someone who's struggling and remain present with them in that struggle for an extended period of time.
And what happens in the body when compassion fatigue sets in.
Is measurable and real.
Emotional reserves become depleted.
The capacity to feel empathy begins to diminish.
Not because you've stopped caring.
But because the nervous system has been giving so much for so long,
And it has reached a limit.
You might notice this as vague numbness,
A flatness where warmth used to be.
Of going through the motions of caring for someone without being fully present inside.
That is not a failure of love.
That is compassion fatigue.
And it is your nervous system asking for something it has not been given.
Permission to rest.
Permission to receive.
Permission to matter.
As much as the people you're caring for.
I know this from my own life.
I work full time.
I have a teenager.
A husband navigating a serious health challenge,
And aging parents who need me more than they used to.
The competing demands are real.
And finding space for what brings me joy and calm.
The creative practice,
The quiet moment,
The simple act of doing something that is entirely mine.
All of this balance has not been easy.
But I've learned something that's changed how I think about all of it.
That space is not selfish.
It is not something I'm stealing from the people I love.
It is what allows me to show up for them.
With genuine presence and genuine care,
Rather than running on empty.
When I fill my own cup even a little,
Even imperfectly,
The people I love receive more of me,
Not less.
Figley's research confirms this.
Caregivers who attend to their own emotional needs are more resilient,
More present,
And more able to sustain their caring role over the long term.
Taking care of yourself is not a withdrawal of care.
It is what makes care sustainable.
Today.
This moment.
Right here.
Is your permission.
Not to have everything sorted,
Not to be finished giving,
But simply to receive something for yourself.
Take a moment now and bring your awareness back to your breath.
Inhale slowly.
And exhale gently.
I want to invite you into a body awareness moment before we move into journaling.
Notice your body right now.
Where are you holding tension?
Your shoulders,
Your jaw.
Your chest.
Your hands,
Your legs.
Your feet.
Scan your body.
Or your head.
To your toes.
And notice anywhere where you're gripping tightly or it feels tense or sore.
Now take one slow breath into that place.
And as you exhale.
Imagine releasing just a little of what you've been carrying Not all of it.
Just enough to create a small pocket of space.
Letting go.
Relaxing.
Creating space for you.
Right here.
Right now.
That space is yours and you deserve to be in it.
Now I invite you to turn inward.
And explore this theme more deeply through journaling.
Take a moment to settle Perhaps placing your hand gently on your heart.
Softening your breath.
Relaxing your body.
This is your Journal Prompt today.
What has caring for others been costing me?
And what is one small thing I can do for myself today.
They would help me show up more fully for the people I love.
You might also explore,
Where have I been running on empty without fully acknowledging it?
What does my own cup need right now?
And what would it feel like to treat my own needs is genuinely important rather than optional.
Allow your thoughts to flow without editing or judgment.
Simply let whatever wants to be expressed come onto the page.
You It is time to gently bring your journaling to a close.
Take a slow breath in.
And a full breath out.
I'll share an affirmation.
You can repeat it silently or out loud.
Letting the words settle within you.
I am allowed to receive as much as I give.
I'm allowed to receive as much as I give.
Caring for myself makes me a better caregiver for everyone I love.
Caring for myself makes me a better caregiver for everyone I love.
This moment is mine.
And I deserve to be in it.
This moment is mine.
And I deserve to be in it.
Take one more breath.
Feeling a little lighter.
A little more cared for,
And a little more present in your own life.
Thank you for giving yourself this time today.
Each time you return to this practice,
You're strengthening something essential.
Your permission to matter.
Your willingness to receive.
And your understanding that the care you give to others is only as sustainable as the care you give to yourself.
You cannot pour from an empty cup.
And today,
You chose to fill yours.
And that matters more than you know.
If today's practice resonated with you,
I'd love to invite you to go deeper.
I have a 10-day audio journaling course called Return to Joy.
A guided experience that combines science-backed reflection,
EFT tapping,
And journaling.
It helps you reconnect with what matters most and move forward with more lightness,
Clarity,
And joy.
And if you'd like to continue this daily practice with me.
Please follow me here on Insight Timer.
So you never miss a new session.
New guided practices are added regularly and I'd love to have you with me.
Until then,
Give yourself one small thing today,
Something that is entirely yours,
Something that fills you up rather than empties you.
Something that reminds you that you too matter.
May your day be filled with moments that are genuinely,
Empoweringly,
Wonderfully yours.
