Welcome to 2 minutes of self-gentleness with Femke.
You know what you're going to say.
And you also know that it's going to land badly.
So you've been turning it over,
Wondering if there's a version that doesn't hurt anyone,
A way to be honest without disappointing them,
But sometimes there isn't such a way.
And staying honest,
Being true to what you actually need,
Or believe,
Or can give,
That is an act of integrity.
Integrity,
Even when it costs you something.
People who have spent their lives putting others first know how this feels.
The guilt of being a full person,
Of having limits.
You are allowed to disappoint people,
Not carelessly,
But without destroying yourself in the process.
Self-gentleness here means staying on your own side,
Even when someone else wishes you were on theirs.
Now I know this is not easy.
So let's just start with listening to these affirmations,
And you can repeat them after me or just listen.
Just take the time to absorb this.
I am allowed to have limits.
Disappointing someone is not the same as failing them.
I can be honest and still be kind.
I do not owe anyone a version of myself that I cannot sustain.
I can hold my own needs gently and firmly at the same time.
Now sit with this for a moment,
And feel free to come back any time that you feel that you are going to abandon yourself to keep the peace with someone else.
