If I ask myself what people need most right now, the word that comes up is support.
That feeling that someone has your back. That you’re not alone. That someone sees you and is standing with you.
People are hungry for that right now. You can feel it in conversations, in the way people talk about exhaustion and overwhelm, in how easily loneliness slips into the room even when we’re surrounded by others.
Support matters.
But when I sit with this longer, another realization shows up.
The most consistent support we will ever receive is the support we learn to give ourselves.
And that’s not the easy kind of self-care people post about online. It’s deeper than that. It’s the work of healing our relationship with ourselves. The quiet, ongoing work of choosing ourselves in small ways every day.
The most healed I have ever felt is the most connected I have ever felt to myself. Through art. Through nature. Through moments where I slow down enough to actually hear my own needs instead of overriding them.
Because the relationship we have with ourselves is the relationship we reflect onto everyone else.
And right now, I see so many people living inside an abusive relationship with themselves.
I hear people talking down to themselves. I hear doubt disguised as humility. I see people caving into shame and fear like it’s the safest place to stand. I see nervous systems wired for survival trying to move through a world that rarely slows down enough to let us breathe.
That’s why I always come back to the self.
Because how you treat yourself becomes the blueprint for how you treat everyone around you.
If someone struggles to treat people well, I get curious about how they’re treating themselves when no one is watching. And if someone is endlessly caring for everyone else, I wonder what they’re offering themselves in return.
Support starts inside.
It looks less like big declarations and more like meeting basic human needs consistently.
Sleeping enough to actually recover.
Eating food that makes your body feel stable instead of depleted.
Reducing screen time when your mind feels overloaded.
Creating environments that soothe your nervous system instead of overstimulating it.
Choosing people who feel safe, grounded, and honest to be around.
These aren’t small things. They are foundational things.
When we start meeting our own basic needs, something shifts. We feel clearer. Softer. Less reactive. More grounded. Emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually — everything starts to regulate.
And from that place, we show up differently.
We listen better.
We respond instead of react.
We offer support without losing ourselves in the process.
I think sometimes we wait for support to arrive from the outside before we allow ourselves to feel okay.
But what if the deepest support we’re looking for is already available to us?
What if support starts with learning how to stay on our own side?
To speak to ourselves with kindness.
To honor what we need.
To create lives that feel safe enough for our nervous systems to rest.
Because when you heal the relationship with yourself, everything else begins to change.
And maybe that’s the quiet truth underneath all of this:
The way we love ourselves becomes the way we experience the world.
30 Seconds with Beth
Pause for just a moment.
Ask yourself:
How am I supporting myself right now?
In practice.
What is one small thing I can do today that would help my body feel more cared for?
Let it be simple.
Sometimes it looks like choosing yourself in the smallest, most consistent ways.
About The Author
Beth Inglish is an artist, leader, and transformational speaker who creates spaces where people feel seen, supported, and invited to grow. Through her abstract paintings and keynote experiences, she helps people reconnect to themselves, regulate their nervous systems, and move forward with clarity and confidence. Her work blends creativity, emotional intelligence, and storytelling to create meaningful moments of reflection and change. Whether on stage or in the studio, Beth focuses on helping people feel grounded, aware, and empowered in their lives. Visit her online gallery to explore her work and learn more about the stories behind each piece.
