SELF-FULL FILLING

Such important SELFcare & for many of us, not easy to do, at least not without background ‘resistance’!!
How is this for you??
❤️

A lovely….& important….SELFcare invitation.

Come back to this when you forget……which most of us will! 😉

❤️

Breathing in the Day

Breathe.
Let the world move on without you, for a while.
There is no need to chase minutes,
or measure yourself by tasks.

Sit in silence.
Feel the pulse of your own heartbeat,
hear the gentle hum of life around you.

Savor your tea, your coffee,
the warmth resting in your hands.
Notice the pauses,
the quiet spaces between moments,
the stillness where nothing seems to happen.

Slowing down is not an absence of life;
it is life, lived more fully.
Moving gently through the hours,
we discover the beauty
in simply being.

~ 'Breathing in the Day' by Spirit of a Hippie

✍️ Mary Anne Byrne

~ Art by Michelle Johnson

Some wise & love-full words for this Holiday season….& beyond!!
Wishing you the most tender & wonder-full SELFcare as we move into a new year!
Gratitude to all for choosing deep SELFcare over a list of ‘shoulds’. And when you forget, just recommit to your intentions!!
❤️

OPTING OUT OF THE HOLIDAYS

If you are not looking forward to the holidays or the new year, know there is nothing wrong with you.

Feeling low, ambivalent, numb, irritated, sad, bored, or disconnected at this time of year is normal.
Feeling “out of step” is normal.

If you do not feel like celebrating.
If you have a “no” to certain people, gatherings, or rituals.
If you cannot cover up your pain anymore.
If this season brings grief, anger, or exhaustion instead of joy.

… There is nothing wrong with you!

You can love people and still need distance.
A sensitive heart often needs strong boundaries.
What works for others may not be healthy or right for you, especially given what you have been carrying this year.

You are not broken.
You are not “failing” at the holidays.

This season, give yourself permission to rest, to opt out, to be honest.

To celebrate, or not celebrate, in your own way.

Sometimes the bravest thing is to stop performing and tell the truth.

- Jeff Foster

The importance of a pause for SELFcare…….

Especially important when you ‘don’t have time’ to slow down!
❤️

When You Don't Have Time, Pause

In this busy world
you may not feel you have time to slow down.
Hours rush past,
a blur of noise and tasks,
and you tell yourself
that rest can wait.

When your thoughts are tangled,
when your breath feels shallow,
when the day presses hard against you,
pause.
When you don't have time, that's when you need it most, pause.

Even for a few moments.
Let your shoulders drop,
unclench your jaw,
and listen
to the quiet that still lives
beneath the noise.

You don’t have to step away for long.
Start with a single breath,
a sip of something warm.
Notice the morning light
filtering through the trees outside.
Feel the soft weight of a blanket
around your shoulders.
Simply be,
right here, right now.

These small pauses are enough.
They remind you
that life isn’t only about doing, achieving, or moving forward.
It’s about being,
breathing,
returning to yourself.

Slowing down
doesn’t mean falling behind.
It means meeting the day with presence,
carrying quiet steadiness
into everything you do.

Even a few moments
can reset the world inside you,
letting calm bloom quietly,
patiently,
in the simplicity of this moment.

~ 'Whe You Don't Have Time, Pause' by Spirit of a Hippie

✍️ Mary Anne Byrne

~ Art by Heather Stillufsen