Self-care is an obligation that we have, and it's often put off behind other responsibilities until the need is so great that we just collapse.
Taking care of yourself helps you avoid burnout and it decreases your level of stress. Basically, self-care is the key to happiness and success.
When you don't take care of your needs, you'll be less productive, less cheerful, and much more susceptible to mental and physical issues. The more drained you become, the riskier each day will be.
Imagine that self-care works like a water tank. You fill up the tank every time you do something for yourself. Taking a trip to your favorite restaurant just because you really want to eat that meal you love or buying a new shirt you've been eyeing in the store window, these things add more 'water' to your self-care tank.
Anything that isn't satisfying your needs and wants drains the tank. You give up your time to help your boss figure out something she's working on. You buy a friend a gift rather than spending that money on something you want. While these aren't bad things, they still take away energy that was stored in your tank, which is why people pleasers have it worse than any of us.
If you only focus on other's needs, your own needs get forgotten and your tank gets lower and lower. Tanks have particles that build up near the bottom and when the water level is too low, they can really damage the tank's system. Our lives are the same way.
When you drain your tank too much, you are creating a mess. By not taking care of your needs, you're telling yourself that you aren't worth it. You're destroying your self-confidence and ignoring the warning signs, like anxiety and depression, by working yourself even harder to block out the problems.
We let our tanks get too low and suddenly all of that gunk and gross stuff comes through and we have to deal with it in one big meltdown. Rather than those particles staying suspended in the water and slowly coming through the system to be discarded, they cram the system and overwhelm it.
When we ignore our needs, all of the things we've pushed off come back to us. They hit us like that bus hit Regina in the popular movie, Mean Girls. They create a huge blockade in our lives that takes an incredible amount of time and energy to overcome.
If you've been lacking in your self-care routine, you need to spend some time creating a plan for action. How will you take care of yourself this week? Maybe that includes a hot bath and a new bath bomb, or maybe it involves taking a break from extra activities one night to just sit and relax.
Whatever you need to fix the drainage you've experienced, just make it happen. Don't keep putting off self-care; take the time to show yourself some love and refill your tank.
