Be so fucking good to yourself.

The world needs you.

Recently, I’ve been on a specific gut healing protocol that has required extra softness of me. This means things like lots of rest! Say no to things that will not support! Stop depriving!

Naturally, this has made me think about how pregnancy is considered a worthy, respectable reason to be treated gently. Is this because people can see it on the outside so therefore ‘having particular needs’ is easier to justify? Like how a broken leg is visible but depression isn’t? When you’re with child, it’s more culturally acceptable to be ultra-sensitive, to cancel plans for the couch, and to eat exactly what you want, all of the time.

Anyway. I’ve been on a pretend journey in my head, that wow if I were pregnant, I’d want to take the absolute best care of my health, for the sake of the soul I’m carrying into this realm. This little thought experiment has led me to be more kind and responsive to what my body needs and feels.

All throughout our lives we move through inner turmoil and pain that people may never see or validate. Idk, maybe we should just treat ourselves with as much love and care as we would if we were growing a baby or had a broken leg?

Your intuition is there and your needs are valid, promise.

It’s interesting that we can access our intuition more clearly when we are not feeling ‘good’.  Like when you’re sick or hungover or sleep deprived or have a headache or are pregnant — you cannot help but surrender to exactly what your body needs because you can feel exactly what your body needs.

I think it’s partially because the mind is quieter when our bodies aren’t being quiet and we can sense our needs more acutely.

Your body is always working to keep you alive and thriving.

We are wired toward healing — this why we get fevers and colds and puffy eyelids (ugh). Symptoms tell us that our body has identified something that’s not quite right and is now actively fixing it. What a lesson and a blessing these feeling ‘not good’ moments are. We always have access to what we need, because our bodies are always talking to us. And we should pay attention now, so we don’t burn out or cause chaos or get sick and miserable.

I hesitate hard to add to the self-care conversation; it’s very complex and also not that complex. Everyone has different methods of returning to themselves, and lives in different bodies with different circumstances. You know yourself best. If you have the consciousness and capacity to take deep care of your body & mind & heart, do it. Stop compromising your needs and stop stifling your feelings. Frame ‘self-care’ as your duty to the collective health of humanity — it can help ease the conditioned ‘be selfless and sacrifice’ guilt.

Just be so fucking good to yourself.

My goal is to create such a solid default foundation of listening to my body that it frees up all of my extra energy for creativity and divine flow. (I know, my NorCal is showing).

What if we all better tended to our bodies and hearts, and what if the accumulation of this individual care leads to a greater source of aliveness and harmony that radiates out into the whole world?

What if taking care of ourselves means we actually want to love and care for others too? 

Seems true to me. We’re each a part of the same whole, after all.

xx, maggie

If you want to share this with someone, go ahead, I’d love that.

Also! If you want to download the new Substack app, it now exists.