Aspire Magazine: Inspiration for a Woman's Soul.(TM) Feb/Mar 2019 Aspire Magazine Full Issue | Page 56

instead of beating yourself up or berating yourself, reflect on what you have learned from the experience. Then, choose to respond to yourself with kindness and compassion. 2. Recognize When you have  Given More than You have to Give This is an important skill to cultivate for your own benefit and the benefit of all of your relationships. Start by tuning into your body and listening to the wisdom and insight it has to share. Bring a spirit of curiosity and nonjudgment to your experience and reflect on any areas of your body that you are holding tension and tightness. Notice if you have pain or discomfort anywhere. Begin to identify when you feel stress and overwhelm where you feel it in your body. When we listen to our bodies, we can notice sooner and sooner when we have given more than we have to give and make a self-nurturing choice. Our emotions can also give us important information about whether we have given too much. With self-compassion, notice if you have become frustrated, impatient, anxious, resentful, depressed, or shutdown when you are overwhelmed and stressed out. These emotions can be seen as red flags and an indication that you need to nurture yourself or set more boundaries about how you spend your time. Today, pause and check in with yourself and listen to the signs and symptoms that you are giving more than you have to give. Remember you can’t give from an empty cup! 56 3. Give yourself Permission to  Nurture Yourself Without the Guilt Permission giving is so powerful! Remember as a kid receiving a permission slip to go to the bathroom or leave school early? You may have felt a sense of freedom with that permission slip in your hand. Well give yourself the gift of freedom to nurture yourself without the guilt. Once we realize that it is an act of love for the world to nurture ourselves it is easier to give ourselves permission. We cannot wait for others to give us permission, we must empower ourselves to take inspired action to nurture and care for ourselves. So today, write yourself a permission slip to take 10 minutes to do something that brings you joy! 4. Try Different Ways of  Nurturing Yourself that Take 10 Minutes or Less There are so many different ways to nurture yourself in a short period of time. Start by www.AspireMAG.net | February / March 2019