I pause. I breathe. I give myself permission to stop running from what I am feeling.
Right here, right NOW, I am safe to be present with myself.
I notice the shame concern. I don’t push it away. I don’t judge myself for feeling it. I simply notice.
I breathe into this NOW and remind myself:
I am more than what happened.
I am more than what I did.
I am more than what I think others think about me.
I can control the Mental Plane mind’s looping self-talk.
I am here. I am breathing. I am alive. And I am in this perfect NOW.
I notice the voice inside me that says, I should have known better. I notice the voice that says, I am not good enough. I notice the voice that tells me I should hide.
And I gently ask: Is this voice helping me care for myself?
I breathe. I listen. I retreat within for self-inquiry time. I release the need to punish myself. I can take responsibility without rejecting myself.
I can acknowledge what happened without allowing it to define who I am. I can learn without shaming myself. I can grow without hurting myself.
I place my hand over my heart. I feel my breath moving in and out. And I say to myself: I am worthy of my own true-self’s compassion.
I do not earn compassion by being perfect. I do not have to prove that I deserve kindness.
I can offer myself the same tenderness I would offer someone I love.
Right NOW, I choose self-care. I choose to listen to what my Physical Plane body needs. I choose to notice what my Mental Plane mind is saying.
I choose to honor what my Spiritual Plane is asking of me and I remember what I’ve always known that self-care is not selfish. Self-care is how I return to myself.
And when I return to myself, I return to my ever perfect gift of being aware of being in my NOW.
It is possible NOW to release the story that I am broken. I meet the story that recalling just one moment could ever define my entire life and I release the need to keep reliving what I cannot change.
I bring my attention back to this breath. This body. This moment. This NOW.
I ask myself: What do I need from me right now?
Perhaps I need rest. Perhaps I need to forgive. Perhaps I need to make amends. Perhaps I need to speak honestly so the NOW can lead me to more. I simply need to breathe and allow myself to be human.
Whatever I need, I listen. I do not abandon myself. I stay with myself. I care for myself. I choose myself. And I remember: I am not my past or any version of shame.
Shame is a feeling moving through me. It is not my identity. It is not my future. It is not the truth of my whole being.
I am here NOW. And in the safety of this self-care NOW, I have a choice.
I choose compassion. I choose awareness. I choose forgiveness. I choose growth. I choose self-care first.
I breathe in acceptance. I breathe out judgment. I breathe in compassion. I breathe out shame. I breathe in the possibility of beginning again. And I remind myself: Every NOW is an opportunity to come home to myself. I am here. I am enough for this moment. I am learning. I am growing. I am becoming.
And right here, right NOW, I choose to treat myself with love. And NOW I breathe. I soften. I release. I return. I am Living in the NOW.