Self-Care vs Caring for the World

☕Everyone welcome! This is an in-person circle in Edinburgh - an informal meeting to light the spark of a community where sensitive, thoughtful people can connect, breathe out, and be honest.

ABOUT
We give a lot. To our work, our causes, the people around us. And somewhere in the middle of all that giving, a question might surface now and again: what about me?

It can feel almost shameful to ask it. Like stepping back from the world's needs to tend to your own is a luxury you haven't earned — or worse, a betrayal of everything you care about.

But what if the either/or is the problem? What if the way you care for the world and the way you care for yourself aren't in competition — but deeply, necessarily connected?

This gathering is for anyone who has felt the tension between their own needs and the pull of something larger. We'll explore what it actually means to sustain yourself, why the boundary between self-care and service is blurrier than we think, and what it might look like to stop choosing between the two.

This gathering is a space for those kinds of conversations — held safely, inclusively, and without pressure.

These gatherings are held once a month.

☕🍵 Tea & Coffee will be available in the space

WHAT TO EXPECT

• A short introductory talk (15–20 mins)
  On why so many of us carry unspoken grief, tension, or fear about the world — and how sharing these feelings in community can be strengthening rather than overwhelming. I’ll draw on the work of Joanna Macy, Francis Weller, and Tara Brach, my experience as a coach guiding people who work for social or environmental change.

• A simple group exercise
  Something grounding (mindfulness-ish) to help us arrive in the space.

• Small-group sharing
  With simple guided exercises we will explore together. You’re welcome to share your experience — or to participate silently. Both are equally valid.

• The tone of the event: Honesty without dramatising, presence without fixing. This is not a space for despair spirals or venting endlessly — but equally not a place where anyone will try to “cheer you up” or rush you toward solutions. We’ll practise the art of being with what’s real, together, in a way that respects everyone’s boundaries and capacity.
  
  AFTERWARDS
  For those who feel like it, we can continue chatting in the Bridgend café.
  
  WHO THIS IS FOR
  • People who carry worries about the state of the world
  • Anyone longing for honest conversation and gentle connection
  • Activists, carers, coaches, healers — and those who don’t fit any label at all
  

CONTRIBUTION
£5 - to help cover some the venue and Meetup (app) costs. You can bring cash (preferred) or pay by transfer on the day.

WHERE: Bridgend Farm, Edinburgh - more details upon registration

HOW TOREGISTER
The group will be around 12-16 people
This is organised via my Meetup group, so if you are not on Meetup (the app) just e-mail me to say that you’re coming and if you’re bringing anyone.