God,
I come to you aware of how often I put myself last.
Not because I don't matter,
But because I learned to survive by accommodating,
By adjusting,
By making sure everyone else was okay first.
Today,
I ask for help choosing myself without guilt,
Without over-explaining,
Without the fear that prioritizing my needs makes me selfish or unkind.
Help me recognize the difference between love and self-abandonment,
Between generosity and depletion,
Between compassion and over-extension.
If I have learned that my value comes from being needed,
Gently un-teach me that.
If I have equated sacrifice with worthiness,
Help me redefine what love actually looks like.
If I have stayed quiet to keep the peace,
Help me find my voice again.
God,
Help me listen to my own needs,
The quiet ones I learned to ignore,
The ones that show up as exhaustion,
Resentment,
Or emotional distance.
Teach me to respond to myself with care instead of criticism,
With honesty instead of dismissal,
With respect instead of avoidance.
I ask for the courage to say no when something costs me too much,
To step back when my energy is low,
To choose rest without needing a justification.
If people are disappointed by my boundaries,
Help me stay grounded.
If I feel the urge to explain myself,
Help me remain calm.
If I feel pulled back into old patterns,
Help me pause before agreeing.
God,
Help me trust that choosing myself doesn't mean rejecting others.
It means honoring my limits.
It means protecting my peace.
It means showing up whole instead of hollow.
Release me from the need to earn love through over-giving,
From the belief that being accommodating makes me worthy of care,
From the habit of saying yes when my body is saying no.
Help me stop negotiating my needs to stay connected.
Help me stop minimizing my feelings to avoid conflict.
Help me stop shrinking to make others comfortable.
God,
Teach me how to advocate for myself with grace,
How to speak clearly without defensiveness,
How to stand firm without hardening.
Let my boundaries be rooted in self-respect and not anger.
Let my choices come from clarity and not fear.
Let my self-care be consistent and not reactive.
If choosing myself feels unfamiliar,
Walk me through it patiently.
Let me learn that I can be loved and still say no.
Let me learn that I can be kind and still choose my own well-being.
Help me notice where I am over-giving,
Where I am available out of habit instead of intention,
Where I am sacrificing rest,
Joy,
Or peace simply to avoid discomfort.
God,
Remind me that I am allowed to take up space,
Allowed to have needs,
Allowed to change my mind.
Help me stop apologizing for being human,
For needing rest,
For asking for support.
I choose to believe that I am worthy of care simply because I exist,
Not because of what I do for others,
Not because of how much I give.
I choose myself when it feels uncomfortable,
When it seems unfamiliar,
When it feels necessary.
Thank you for guiding me back to myself,
For helping me recognize that self-respect is not selfishness,
For teaching me that choosing myself allows me to love others more honestly.
I commit to honoring my needs,
To listening to my body,
To protecting my peace.
I choose myself with compassion,
With clarity.
I choose myself with trust.
Amen.
