Self-Love When You Feel the Pressure to Give
Everywhere you look this season, someone’s telling you to give.
Give more time.
Give more energy.
Give more money.
Give more of yourself… even when you don’t have much left to give.
And you do it because you’re kind, and thoughtful, and your heart runs deep.
But somewhere in all that giving… you start to forget you.
You forget that you deserve to receive too.
You forget that you are also a gift.
I used to run myself into the ground every December.
Trying to make everything perfect. Trying to be everything for everyone.
And every single year, I’d hit that quiet, burnt-out wall or the one where I’d sit in the dark with twinkle lights on and think, “Why do I feel so empty when this is supposed to be the happiest time?”
Here’s what I’ve learned since then:
The holidays are not a performance.
They’re an energy exchange.
And you get to choose how much of that energy you give away and how much you keep for yourself.
Because the truth is, your peace, your joy, your light… those are gifts too.
You don’t owe anyone the exhausted version of you.
You owe yourself the soft, rested, real version of you.
This season, love yourself enough to give from overflow, not emptiness.
Your Heart-Check Activity:
“What Do I Need to Receive?”
Grab your journal (or the notes app on your phone) and take a deep breath before you answer these three questions:
What am I giving a lot of energy to right now?
(Who or what is pulling the most from me?)What do I wish someone would give me this season?
(Time? Understanding? Help? Love? Words?)How can I give that thing to myself, right now?
(Can you rest, ask for help, say no, or simply slow down?)
Write your answers honestly.
Then, underline one thing from your list and make it your focus this week.
That’s your self-gift.
You don’t have to earn it.
You just have to receive it.
So this year, when you’re wrapping gifts for everyone else, wrap one for yourself too, even if it’s symbolic.
Maybe it’s time. Maybe it’s grace. Maybe it’s forgiveness.
Put it under your tree and know: the most beautiful present this world gets is you, being true to yourself.
Because love that starts within you… that’s the kind that lasts long after the holidays fade.
You are the gift, my friend.
And the world’s lucky to have you.
