Okay, you know yourself right? You know what you need, what makes you feel good, what resets your system. And yet, you somehow do everything else but.

Endless hours on the phone or giving to others, but not a second of real nourishing care. If this sounds like you, know that you are not alone! In this episode, Kim Star and Geneva Robins cover why this resistance happens and share some gentle shame-free ways of giving yourself some space to recharge your batteries.

It seems strange, doesn’t it, that sometimes the biggest hurdle to self-care is not anything anyone else is saying to us, but that nagging voice in our head saying ‘never enough’. We can get locked into endless hours of care for others, but find it oh so difficult to care for ourselves.

Don’t get me wrong, caring for others is immensely rewarding and can even be a valuable form of recharge too. It is more about the balance between the two and the secret shame that we aren’t as worthy of care as others.

If this sounds familiar, one of the quickest ways out is to acknowledge how important you are to other people. The more people who depend on you, especially if it is for their survival, the more imperative it is that you care for yourself.

It is simply not optional.

You have to take good care of yourself, because what happens to them if you go down? Nothing good, that’s for sure.

For natural carers, taking care of yourself is another way of taking care of your people. That can be that little encouraging nudge to spend that slice of time truly restoring yourself.

Think of self-care as devotional service.

What I mean by that is often self-care seems like an onerous investment, a heavy and giant task on an already full plate. If your self-care seems like a heavy burden rather than a delight, try a new approach — make it tiny!

Instead of looking for hours, look for minutes. Do a small stretch, read one page, journal for 1 minute, take a second to ground, or look at a tree.

Then sprinkle those moments throughout your day. Of course having more time is really delightful and you absolutely need that too when you can. But often the time factor prevents us from starting. If we can start small and often, then more of these moments happen and more recharge occurs.

I find if I reduce what ‘counts’ as enough care to that absolute bare minimum then I’m way more likely to begin. I think the hardest part is always starting. So cheer for the tiny beginnings.

As Kim says, if it feels like tension it’s probably not Reiki. The same goes for self care. If you are rushed or pushing yourself, try a gentle approach.

Think about what you would do to nurture a small child or a beloved pet. You’d probably get outside in some fresh air, prepare nourishing food, and create space for cuddles, play and rest. Try that simple and loving approach for your own self.

If you need a reset for your self-care, try a Reiki Session. It is a phenomenal way to recharge and treat yourself to some supportive energy.

Schedule a session with our Jane app booking system.

You are beloved! You are worthy of nurturing, play, rest, and gentle care.

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