If you’re feeling tired, not just the kind of tired that a nap might fix, but soul-tired, deep-in-your-bones tired, you are not alone.

If your to-do list has become a never-ending scroll and your inner critic is shouting, “Why can’t you just cope better?”, then welcome. You’re in good company!

Many of us are walking around trying to hold it all together. We do it for our work, for our families, for our teams and organisations. Some of us are even carrying the emotional weight of the world on our shoulders. And the truth is, we’re doing it while quietly managing our own struggles, fears, and fatigue.

We tell ourselves we should be able to manage. We look around and think that others are coping. We convince ourselves that we just need to try a bit harder, be more grateful, breathe deeper, or buy a new journal that will finally sort everything out. And yet, here we are. Worn out. Judging ourselves for being worn out. Wondering why it still feels so heavy.

Let me say this clearly. You are not failing. You are not weak. You are not broken. You are human. And this moment, with all its overwhelm, exhaustion, and longing to rest, is entirely human too.

This week in our Global Circles of Practice meditation, we explored something gently radical. We gave ourselves permission to stop trying to be better. Just for a little while. We practised resting. Letting the breath move all by itself. Offering warmth instead of criticism. And perhaps, most tenderly, allowing ourselves to be held by love, rather than held together by effort.

If your heart feels heavy, this practice is for you. If your mind insists you should have everything figured out by now, then this practice is especially for you. Because self-compassion is not something you earn when you finally sort your life out. It is something you offer yourself while life is still messy.

You do not need permission to rest. But if you have forgotten that it is allowed, this is your gentle reminder. And if you are feeling alone in all of this, please know you are not. Not even close. We are practising this together. You are warmly invited.