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.
And explore.
Before we begin,
I invite you to have a journal.
Or a blank page ready 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,
On this breath.
Let's begin by settling into this moment.
Being here fully present now.
Gently close your eyes if that feels comfortable.
Allow your shoulders to soften.
And let your hands rest wherever they feel at ease.
Take a slow breath in through your nose,
Counting softly to four.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And gently exhale through your mouth for six.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Again,
Inhale slowly for four.
And exhale fully for six.
With each exhale,
Imagine releasing tension.
And letting that flow out.
One more time,
Breathe 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,
Supported.
And from this grounded place.
We'll move into today's reflection.
The theme for today is respect.
And I want to begin with something that might feel a little unfamiliar.
Respect begins within.
Not with how others treat you.
Not with what you've achieved.
Not with the roles you fill or the expectations you meet.
It starts with how you speak to yourself.
How you think about yourself.
And how you treat your own time,
Energy,
And your heart.
So often we offer kindness outward with ease.
We're patient with others,
Understanding,
Supportive.
We protect their time,
Honor their needs.
And treat their well-being is genuinely important.
And yet,
We can be so hard on ourselves.
So quick to dismiss our own needs,
Has less urgence than everyone else's.
So quick to give our time away before we've given any of it to ourselves.
Psychologist Christopher Germer,
One of the leading researchers in mindful self-compassion,
Describes self-respect as one of the most foundational yet most neglected components of genuine psychological well-being.
Germer explains that self-respect is not the same as self-esteem.
Which often depends on performance,
Achievement,
Or how we measure up to others.
Self-respect is something more sustainable and stable than that.
It is a simple recognition that your needs,
Your time,
Your energy,
And your well-being matter.
Are inherently worthy of care.
Not because of what you do.
Not because of how much you give.
Help us simply because you are here.
Because you are human.
And because you matter.
When you treat yourself with respect,
When you honor your limits,
Listen to what you need,
And protect what is genuinely yours,
Something shifts.
Not just in how you feel.
But in how you show up for everything else.
Because here's what I've learned from my own experience.
For a long time,
My time was the most interruptible thing in my life.
Everyone else's needs,
Everyone else's schedules,
Everyone else's requests.
They all came before.
The time that I'd set aside for myself.
And I told myself that was fine.
That it was generous.
That it's what being a good mother looks like,
A good partner,
Being a work professional.
But what I began to notice was that I was showing up for everyone else and I was running on empty,
Tired,
Stretched,
A version of myself that was not really the version I wanted to bring to the people I loved.
This shift came when I started to carve out time for myself.
And communicate that clearly.
Not apologetically.
Not with excessive explanation,
But simply and directly.
This time is mine.
I need this,
And I will be back.
It was uncomfortable at first.
There is guilt.
There was the feeling that I was taking something that didn't quite belong to me.
But what I discovered was that the time I protected for myself,
To rest,
To create,
To simply be.
It made me more present.
More patient.
More genuinely available.
For the people and the things that mattered most.
Respecting my own time was not a withdrawal of care.
It was the condition under which real care became possible.
And that is what Grimmer's research points to.
That self-respect is not selfish,
It is generative.
And when you treat yourself as worthy of care,
You have more genuine care to give.
When you honor your own limits,
You show up within them more fully.
When you protect your energy.
You bring more of it to the moments that matter.
Respect asks you to pause and remember your worth.
Not because of what you accomplish.
Not because of how much you give.
Not because of how well you perform.
But because you are inherently valuable.
When you treat yourself with love and kindness,
When you listen to your needs,
When you honour your limits,
When you acknowledge your strengths,
You quietly set the standard.
You show the world how you expect to be treated.
Respect is not arrogance.
It is self-awareness.
It is knowing that your voice matters,
Your boundaries matter,
Your well-being matters.
You are always deserving of love.
You are always deserving of kindness.
You are always deserving of respect,
Including from yourself.
Take a moment now.
And bring your awareness back to your breath.
Inhale slowly.
And exhale gently.
Now bring to mind one area of your life.
Where you've been giving your time and energy more freely to others than to yourself.
Notice how that feels.
Is there a sense of depletion there?
Is there a feeling of being unacknowledged?
Now gently ask yourself.
.
.
What would it feel like to treat my own time and energy with the same care and respect I give to everyone else?
Let that question settle within you as we move into journaling.
Here is your journal prompt today.
In what small way can I show myself more respect?
Through my thoughts,
Choices,
Or actions.
You might also explore where in my life have I been giving my time and energy more freely to others than to myself.
And what would it feel like to treat my own needs as important?
Allow your thoughts to flow without editing or judgment.
Simply let whatever wants to be expressed come onto the page.
It is time to gently bring your journaling to a close.
Take a slow breath in.
And a soft breath out.
I'll share an affirmation now.
You're welcome to repeat it silently or out loud.
Allowing the words to land in your body.
I honor my worth.
I honor my worth.
I treat myself with kindness and care.
I treat myself with kindness and care.
My needs and boundaries matter.
My needs and boundaries matter.
I am deserving of love,
Kindness,
And respect.
I am deserving of love,
Kindness,
And respect.
Take one more breath in and release it fully.
Feeling grounded.
Supported and present.
Thank you for giving yourself this time today.
Each time you return to this practice,
You're strengthening something essential.
Your relationship with yourself.
Your ability to honor what you need.
And stay steady in the belief that you are worthy of the same care that you so freely give to others.
Self-respect is not something you wait to feel when everything else is in order.
It is something you practice in the small daily choices of how you treat yourself.
How you spend your time.
And how you speak to your own heart.
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.
You can find it here on Insight Timer.
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,
Choose one small act of self-respect today.
One moment where you can honor your time,
Your energy,
And your heart.
You deserve nothing less.
May your day be filled with kindness,
Especially towards yourself.
