It's OK to put yourself first sometimes. People will spend their time telling you that you're wrong for it, that you should quit being so self-centered, and that other people have it worse than you could ever imagine. But those people shouldn't throw stones, unless they know that they have good enough aim not to shatter the walls of their glass houses. I know where you're coming from. Sometimes you might overdo it a bit, but that's OK, because you have every right to put you first. Sometimes people may get irritated with you or roll their eyes, but that's OK, because you have every right to put you first. Let me say that a third time for the people in the back, you have every right to put yourself first.
We spend our lives being told that we should think of others before ourselves and that selfishness is not a quality we want to have. We are taught that any time you stop to think of you, you must be discounting others and their struggle. We are told over and over again that taking the time to make sure that we are OK and that we are healthy and happy is selfish because that is time we could be giving to others. But I say that's crap. It's OK to put yourself first, for as long as you need to.
Whether it's just turning off your phone to take a mental health day and exist outside of everything that is going on in your life, or deciding to buy yourself a coke and taking a few minutes away from whatever you're doing to sit and breathe, it's OK. It's OK to refuse to fight, it's OK to demand that you be valued, it's OK to speak up if you're being treated unfairly, and it's definitely OK to take a step back and wash your hands of everything when you need to.
Think of it like this: if a car has a flat tire, you leave it parked. If you sprain an ankle, you don't walk on it. So why would it ever seem like the same wouldn't apply to your mental health? Everyone has bad days. Some people have them more than others, and that's OK. But everyone has them. Everyone has days where they feel like their heads may explode because they're just fried. Everyone has days where they don't have the energy to get out of bed. Everyone has days where they feel like they're invisible or like no matter how loud they speak, they go unheard. Everyone has them. And the world might tell you that you have to suck it up, or that someone else has it worse, or that you're overreacting. But, I say, you can't save the world if you're broken. And furthermore, saving the world starts with saving one person. Why can't that person be you?
Be a drama queen. Be the center of the universe. Be self-centered. Take care of yourself. Do what ever it takes to make sure you are OK, before you do anything else, because like the moon around the earth, and the earth around the sun, your life revolves around you.
