To sit with myself.

by Deva Shantay

Taking the time to sit and go within is a powerful practice—a deliberate choice, and one I do not make often enough. Today, someone asked if the tension in my neck was “mom stress.” The answer is no. It’s the accumulated weight of all the times I didn’t pause. It's the result of every moment I said no to myself and yes to someone else. That’s the tension I carry—in my neck, my back and my hips.

What causes me to ignore my own needs? My mind. The thoughts that tell me I must do this or should be that. Beneath it all is an unconscious desire to be enough for someone else—but ironically, in that state, I am less of me.

This isn’t about not giving to others but rather bringing more being into my doing and taking those important moments throughout the day to stop all doing and just be and open to the truth that I am enough.

To sit with myself is to choose me.