Putting on Our Own Oxygen Mask

Service Description

You Give So Much, But Who Is Caring for You?  ​You’re someone who shows up — for your work, your clients, your colleagues, and the people who rely on you. But when you spend your days supporting others, there’s often little left for yourself. You might notice: 💭 Feeling tired even after rest. 💭 A constant sense of pressure to do or be more. 💭 Speaking gently to others, but critically to yourself. This isn’t weakness — it’s your nervous system doing its best to protect you. When we stay in “go mode” for too long, the body forgets how to shift into a state of calm, safety, and connection. In this evidence-based and experiential session, you’ll explore five key areas: 🕯 1. Burnout: The Cost of Not Caring For Ourselves We’ll examine stress and burnout through a Polyvagal lens, understanding how the body transitions between ventral vagal (calm and connected), sympathetic (fight-or-flight), and dorsal vagal (collapse) states. You’ll learn that burnout isn’t a personal failure; it’s a physiological survival response. 2. What Is Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC)? You’ll discover how Mindful Self-Compassion (developed by Dr Kristin Neff and Dr Christopher Germer) helps us meet difficulty with understanding rather than judgment. We’ll explore the three key components — Mindfulness, Common Humanity, and Self-Kindness — and how they allow us to soften reactivity, stay present, and include ourselves in our own caregiving circle. 💫 3. The Science of Self-Compassion Learn how self-compassion changes both your body and brain. Through a Polyvagal framework, we’ll explore how self-compassion activates the soothe system — shifting you out of stress physiology and back into a state of calm connection. When you practise self-compassion, your body releases a cascade of supportive neurochemicals — oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins — which reduce threat responses, ease pain, and support feelings of safety and belonging. 4. The Myths of Self-Compassion Many people believe self-compassion means being weak, selfish, or unmotivated. We’ll gently debunk those myths and show how compassion builds strength, clarity, and sustainable motivation. 🌞 5. Self-Compassion Practices for a Busy Day You’ll learn brief, practical tools you can use anytime — between meetings, after difficult conversations, or before sleep. Practices include grounding through the soles of the feet, the Self-Compassion Break, and Loving Kindness — micro-moments that restore calm and steadiness.