Most of us aren’t very good at nourishing ourselves. We may be good at looking after everyone else, but it takes a special kind of effort to nourish ourselves. Deep down, a lot of us feel like we just don’t deserve it. These patterns of low self-esteem can derive from specific situations, such as being bullied or abused in some way, but are also reinforced by social structures, conventions and expectations. So we end up feeling guilty when we do something just for ourselves, just for the pleasure of it, or for how much we benefit from it. Or perhaps not even knowing how to do that.
But once we figure out how to really nourish ourselves, guilt-free, then we are in a much better place to serve and support our families and communities. So actually, taking time out to focus on ourselves, to recharge, recentre and rebalance, can be a selfless act rather than a selfish one.
This chapter suggest some ways you can start to practise doing just that.
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