Start With One Promise

A bite-sized episode on how to actually create change when you're already exhausted. Hint: It starts with one promise.

Chapters

• 0:00 Naming The Sunday Spiral
• 0:43 You Are Not Broken
• 1:24 How Overriding Needs Breeds Burnout
• 2:04 Reframing Self-Care As Choices
• 3:00 One Promise, Built Consistently
• 4:21 Keep Your Cup Full
• 5:03 Invitation, Support, And Close

Transcript

NatNat Be: 0:00

Hey, it's Nat Nat, and welcome to the Lift One Self podcast. Here we are Sunday. And I'm pretty sure that some of you are in a space of pure wanting to let out some exhale, let out some frustration, let out some like F bombs that Monday is around the corner already. And then when you look back, you wonder wait, I said I was going to do this and this and this for myself, yet you haven't put any action to it. I want to meet you in this space and offer you some possible perspectives that you may not be seeing about yourself and your environment. So let's talk about what's actually going on and what makes change possible, even when you're already running on empty. First, I need you to hear this. You are not broken. There's a pattern most high-functioning, deeply caring people run. And it sounds something like this. Everyone else's needs feel more urgent than our own. Taking care of yourself feels selfish when others need you. You'll rest when you've earned it. And underneath all of that, a nervous system that's been conditioned to believe my needs can wait. But here's what's actually happens when you keep putting yourself last. Your body doesn't accept IOUs. Your nervous system doesn't understand next week. Every time you override your needs, every time you push past your limits, every time you say, I'm gonna do that thing, and then don't, your system registers it as I'm not safe with me. And that creates more burnout, more resentment, more exhaustion. Not because you're doing something wrong, but because you're working against how your nervous system actually functions. So let's reframe this completely. Self-care isn't about having more time or more energy. It's about making different choices with the time and energy you already have. And I'm not talking about adding more to your plate. I'm talking about the small moments where you get to choose, do I honor my system right now or do I override it again? Did you take three consecutive breaths before that meeting, or did you go in already dysregulated? Did you actually step away from your desk and eat lunch? Or did you work through it again? Did you say no to something that would deplete you, or did you say yes out of obligation? These aren't luxuries. These are the micro choices that either resource you or deplete you. Here's what I'm offering you to understand. You don't need to overhaul your entire life. You need to start keeping one promise to yourself. Because every time you follow through, even on something small, you're teaching your nervous system, I'm learning to be safe with me. And that's how change actually happens. Not through willpower, not through trying harder, through building trust with yourself, one choice at a time. So here's your invitation for this week. Pick one thing, just one, something small that would resource you. Maybe it's three deep breaths before you start your day. Maybe it's drinking water before coffee. Maybe it's saying no to one thing without overexplaining. Not five things, but pick one and just be consistent with sticking with it for the whole week. You follow through, not perfectly, just consistently. And notice what shifts when you start becoming someone who keeps promises to yourself. Not because you have earned it, but because you're worthy of your own care right now, exactly as you are. And I know this can be challenging for many when we're seeing the state of the world and what other people are experiencing. Yet those are not your stories. It is your responsibility to always keep your cup full so that you can show up for others. Not deplete yourself out of feeling that will help somebody else because it won't. And that's what the system wants you to feel depleted by other people's experiences so that when the calling comes for you to take charge, you won't be resource. So be sure to keep that cup full. And here we are. You've made it through another week, whatever day you're in, and you get to decide is this the week you finally start treating yourself like someone worth keeping promises to? If this landed, share it with someone who needs to hear it, leave a review. And if you need support learning to actually resource your nervous system instead of just intending to, that's what I do. Go to liftoneself.com and book a session. Thanks for being here. You're doing better than you think. See you next time. Please remember to be kind and gentle with yourself. You matter.