Some may say that having a big heart can be a blessing, and a curse.
You always want to make sure that all of your friends and family are happy, and you constantly go out of your way to give and give everything you can offer in order to make that one person smile and feel special. But after you give all that you can to others, what is there left for you to give yourself?
I am one of these people- someone who constantly feels the need to put others before themselves, regardless of the situation. It has always been apart of my genuine personality to prioritize other people and worry about things going on in my life later on when I have the time (which I can say, is not a very good habit).
I am also one of those people who bottles in every ounce of anger, sadness, and fear... in fear of putting more stress on others around me that come to me with their dilemmas. Who would want to hear about my problems when they are dealing with their own, anyway? (Well, in this department I am wrong. The genuine people you surround yourself with will see your struggles, even if you are not open about them. Nobody is perfect at hiding tension, and nobody has a perfect life)
When you constantly care for other people in your life or involve yourself in too many roles, you will lose yourself. You will lose the spark to do things for yourself for fun, to cope with struggles you may face, and even lose the time to sit and relax for one moment of the day.
When you constantly are running and begin to lose every amount of energy you possess, it becomes difficult to give and give go others if you are not giving back to yourself in return.
It is important to understand that sometimes, you need to put yourself first.
You matter- your physical health matters, your mental health matters, and your emotional health matters. Yet sometimes, this is all forgotten the more and more you continue to push yourself for other people, but not yourself.
To those who strive to live a 'perfect' lifestyle- save yourself the stress and cut yourself a break. Living a perfect lifestyle with a perfect career, relationship, friend group, grades, and stress-free atmosphere absolutely does not exist, and it is important to realize that.
Take a second out of your day to sit, and take a breath. Yes, it is awesome to have goals and to continue striving to be greater than the day before, but greatness doesn't occur over night, and it is important to care for yourself in the process of achieving this greatness. It is incredibly easy to forget about taking care of yourself, rather than throw your entire heart and soul into one individual, job, college course, and extracurricular activity.
As much as we want to continue doing more and more to better ourself, it isn't actually bettering ourselves if it is causing more mental stress and tension. There are plenty of remedies to do in order to work on taking the time to spend on ourselves like spa treatments, bubble baths and more- but one trip to the spa isn't going to take away all the problems you struggle with and hold in. Bottling in your issues will only cause you more stress and self harm, and it is important to surround yourself with genuine people to lift you up, and see when you need help...even if you didn't necessarily say you needed it.
Yes, maybe a trip to the nail salon to pamper yourself might make you feel a tad better, but cute nails do not heal all wounds. Don't forget to allow yourself to have a mental health day away from all the drama and stress in your life, you will thank yourself later.
You are worthy of the success you strive for, and loved by many that surround you.
To the people in my life who see my worth on days when I do not, and lift me up when I silently stress my life away- this one is for you.