Join Jill for the five-year anniversary of Be YOU - a special live podcast event celebrating 300 episodes of the podcast - on Saturday, October 25th from 1–5 p.m. in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Tickets are selling fast at jillherman.com/beyou, and discounted rooms are available at a boutique hotel right next door!

Jill opens up in this vulnerable episode in which she discusses the difficult situation that she is currently in caring for her sick father. She shares how she has had to step back from her usual podcast schedule to focus on this challenge and how it has been truly physically, mentally, and emotionally draining for her.

Listen as she discusses the importance of being gentle and compassionate with yourself during challenging times rather than judging or criticizing yourself. Even though she knows the importance of self-care and being well-resourced, she shares how she has found herself neglecting her own needs in the process as she has poured everything into caring for her father, recognizing that this is a pattern that she has fallen into before when faced with difficult circumstances.

Jill openly shares the specific ways that she has been struggling such as forgetting to eat, drink water, exercise, and get proper rest, explaining how this has led to her becoming increasingly depleted and unable to function at her best and ultimately realizing that she needed to take a difficult but necessary step - asking for help.

Jill's sincerest hope in sharing this personal journey on the show is that it resonates with listeners who may be going through their own difficult seasons. She reveals how she wants to encourage everyone to be kind to themselves, set boundaries, and to not hesitate to reach out for support when needed. Even when life gets overwhelming, self-compassion is so incredibly important!

Show Notes:

[02:53] - Jill is discussing having to prioritize self-compassion by accepting her limits during an emotionally challenging time. [04:56] - Instead of judging herself, Jill used tools and self-kindness to manage exhaustion. [06:36] - Jill shares how, knowing that she is depleted, she forgives herself and applies self-care with compassion. [08:33] - Hear how, even when deeply depleted, Jill knows that returning to basic self-care is her best defense. [11:08] - Overwhelmed, Jill reverted to old patterns and neglected her own needs and boundaries. [14:28] - Jill admits to having slipped into martyrdom, forgetting to balance caregiving with self-care. [17:33] - Rather than self-blame, Jill has accepted her limits and has finally reached out for help, even though it was difficult for her. [20:49] - Jill, despite feeling exhausted, creatively problem-solved, securing assistance after admitting that she had tried to do too much on her own. [22:47] - Jill encourages others to question overextension, recognizing that it often masks self-worth patterns that are based on past trauma. [25:40] - Now with help, Jill can finally be present with her dad as a daughter and not as a nurse.

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