JUST BE.

When was the last time you gave yourself the space to just sit with your feelings, to quiet your mind, to take a break from all that you “should” be doing, and allowing yourself to simply just...be?

I’ve noticed that my first experiences of trying to make this space for myself brought up many feelings of shame- shame for not being productive or not acting in the way that I’ve been told we’re supposed to act. It’s been a process and a learning experience that is ongoing for me. With different experiences and emotions comes with different needs for how I hold space for myself and my feelings. Creating this space and embracing self-compassion and gentleness while in that space has allowed me to shed unrealistic expectations, learn how to set my personal boundaries, process emotions, and essentially live more for my present moment than in the past or worry for the future.

Learning to sit with yourself while still holding compassion and being gentle with yourself is harder than it may seem. but it’s within that space that you can process and find healing, inspiration, joy, release, and rest. It opens a door to deepening the relationship with yourself from a place of love and non-judgment.

How you decide to give yourself this space is up to you. Find what helps you disconnect and just be. Meditate if you need to quiet your mind, stretch and move your body if you need release, dance and listen to your favorite music, lay under your favorite blanket and daydream, pray, talk to your ancestors...find your space and make it a safe place for your mind and for your soul. Return to those spaces as often as you need. You deserve your own self-love, compassion, gentleness, and space to simply just BE.

How do you create that space for yourself? What does it mean to you to just be?