There is a quiet belief many of us carry: that when the work is meaningful, the body will cooperate. That if the heart is open and the intention is pure; the system will somehow stretch to meet the moment.
But the body does not run on belief.
It runs on capacity.
Those of us who hold space for others — whether as healers, listeners, teachers, or caregivers — often forget that empathy is not passive. It is a full-bodied act of attunement. To witness grief, loss, or trauma is to let it move through us, even when we are grounded, even when we are experienced, even when the work is chosen with love.
There is a myth in spiritual spaces that alignment makes us limitless. That when we are “in purpose,” exhaustion is a sign of resistance rather than information. But alignment does not cancel the nervous system. Devotion does not override physiology. The body is not impressed by our willingness — it simply reports the truth.
Healing work is not always gentle. Sometimes it is cumulative. Sometimes it is heavy. Sometimes the signal comes late, not because we ignored it, but because we were focused on another instead of being deeply present with our own experience. When the body finally speaks (sometimes loudly!) it is not to punish. It seeks to protect.
One of the most mature spiritual skills we can develop is knowing when enough is enough—not because the work isn’t sacred, but because we are. Alignment includes aftercare. Service requires containment. Even love needs limits — without them, compassion can quietly cost us ourselves. Tending to our own body and nervous system is not a failure of devotion; it is what allows us to remain present, grounded, and available over time.
The lesson, when it arrives, is rarely dramatic. It is simple and humbling: listen sooner. Rest without justification. Let devotion include yourself.
Blessing:
May your giving be met with replenishment.
May your body be trusted as an ally, not an obstacle.
May you remember that your presence is most powerful when it is sustainable.
And may you be as kind to yourself as you are to everyone you serve. ✨