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Self-Care Is Not Selfish

Personalized support for learning how to integrate mindfulness into your life. Delivered fresh everyday by our world renowned experts. Choose meditation duration:

Hey, welcome back to your Daily Mindfulness. In today's session, we're going to talk about why self-care is not selfish. One of the big things I've learned over the years as a mindfulness teacher is that many people don't actually feel like they have the permission to take time for themselves. The meditation practice itself can sometimes feel like a self-focused practice. We're turning the attention inward.

We're focusing on the breath. We're feeling our own internal access experience. And while that certainly has an impact for how we show up for other people and in the world, a lot of times it can feel like we're selfish for taking that time for ourselves. There's one quote though, that I've always loved that I think puts this in perspective, it's by Parker Palmer and he says, "Self-care is never a selfish act. It's simply good stewardship of the only gift we have, the gift we were put on earth to offer others.

Anytime we take care of ourselves, we do it not just for ourselves, but for the many others whose lives we touch." Hmm. So just notice what it's like to hear that. Self-care is never selfish. Now, even if you do feel a strong pull to help other people, to serve other people, to be there for your family, your relationships and your work, the person doing that is right here. It's you.

And we can't do that on an empty tank. Every once in a while, we need to shift the car from fifth gear to third, to first, and even put it in park and refuel. It's only then that we can go back and do the work that we care most about and take care of the people in the way we most want to take care of them. So notice if you've been putting yourself second. Notice if you feel guilty for taking time for yourself.

And see if you can maybe keep this quote in mind as you go throughout your day and beyond, remembering that anytime you take care of yourself, it's not selfish. It's for others. It's for the world. It's for the environment. We'll do some more around this in our meditation today, but I do want to thank you for your practice.

I say that at the end of a lot of my Daily Mindfulness moments, and the main reason I do is because it's an acknowledgement that the practice is not just for you. It's for your families, it's for your relationships, it's for your communities and it's for our world. So I'll say it again. Thank you for your practice. I'll talk to you soon and take care.

Cory Muscara

4.7

Self-Care Is Not Selfish

Personalized support for learning how to integrate mindfulness into your life. Delivered fresh everyday by our world renowned experts. Choose meditation duration:

Duration

Your default time is based on your progress and is changed automatically as you practice.

Hey, welcome back to your Daily Mindfulness. In today's session, we're going to talk about why self-care is not selfish. One of the big things I've learned over the years as a mindfulness teacher is that many people don't actually feel like they have the permission to take time for themselves. The meditation practice itself can sometimes feel like a self-focused practice. We're turning the attention inward.

We're focusing on the breath. We're feeling our own internal access experience. And while that certainly has an impact for how we show up for other people and in the world, a lot of times it can feel like we're selfish for taking that time for ourselves. There's one quote though, that I've always loved that I think puts this in perspective, it's by Parker Palmer and he says, "Self-care is never a selfish act. It's simply good stewardship of the only gift we have, the gift we were put on earth to offer others.

Anytime we take care of ourselves, we do it not just for ourselves, but for the many others whose lives we touch." Hmm. So just notice what it's like to hear that. Self-care is never selfish. Now, even if you do feel a strong pull to help other people, to serve other people, to be there for your family, your relationships and your work, the person doing that is right here. It's you.

And we can't do that on an empty tank. Every once in a while, we need to shift the car from fifth gear to third, to first, and even put it in park and refuel. It's only then that we can go back and do the work that we care most about and take care of the people in the way we most want to take care of them. So notice if you've been putting yourself second. Notice if you feel guilty for taking time for yourself.

And see if you can maybe keep this quote in mind as you go throughout your day and beyond, remembering that anytime you take care of yourself, it's not selfish. It's for others. It's for the world. It's for the environment. We'll do some more around this in our meditation today, but I do want to thank you for your practice.

I say that at the end of a lot of my Daily Mindfulness moments, and the main reason I do is because it's an acknowledgement that the practice is not just for you. It's for your families, it's for your relationships, it's for your communities and it's for our world. So I'll say it again. Thank you for your practice. I'll talk to you soon and take care.

Cory Muscara

Cory Muscara

4.7

Duration

Cory Muscara

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