"Self-care is not selfish. You cannot serve from an empty vessel." - Eleanor Brown
Often we don't realize how much time we truly need to devote to our own well-being. Once we start learning how to give back to ourselves, amazing things happen.
1. You learn who your real friends are.
Not everyone is OK with change. Your friends might be used to you going out and partying with them every weekend, so when you decide to trade downing shots of tequila for staying in and binge watching Netflix they might not understand. It sounds cliché, but I've learned that you really don't have to be afraid of losing people because the ones who really care about you will be there throughout every stage of your life.
2. You learn new things about yourself.
I'm a pretty insightful person, but before I started taking significant amounts of time to focus on myself I didn't realize how much I really didn't know about me. It's pretty exciting that after however many years you've been alive, there is still more that you can learn about who you are! Why wouldn't you want to allow yourself to have access to that information? Maybe you have been working the same desk job for years, but once you start focusing on yourself you realize that you really enjoy being outdoorsy instead. It can be really challenging to see things about ourselves clearly if we are constantly caught up in only taking care of others.
3. You feel less stressed out.
Life can often feel overwhelming with all the different things we have to do in order to survive. Working and going to school are two things most people do for a majority of their week, and they can both be very demanding, as well as stress inducing. It's so crucial to take some time, perhaps on the weekends, to go on that hike you've been dying to go on, or get that massage you've been desperately needing. Allowing yourself to be pampered when needed lifts a weight off your shoulders, and makes getting through difficult times much easier.
4. Your self-confidence improves.
Once you start focusing on yourself, you start loving yourself. If youdon't dedicate time to take care of yourself, how are you supposed to feel good about who you are? If you've been complaining about gaining weight but don't make time to go to the gym like you've been wanting to you probably aren't going to feel great about your body. Don't go out for pizza with your friends if you have been wanting to try that recipe you found on Pinterest six months ago. You need to make you-time, because you deserve to love who you are!
5. You're happier.
If you don't put yourself first, you can't truly stay happy. You can only give so much to others, and if you aren't giving enough to yourself you will live a very unhappy life filled with anger and regret. Putting yourself first doesn't mean that you completely forget about and banish everyone around you; It just means that when you need to take care of yourself first, you do. You stop choosing others' needs over your own. Also, by taking the needed time to focus on your own needs, it becomes less of a chore and more of a reward to help others when they need it.
"Sometimes the people around you won't understand your journey. They don't need to. It's not for them." - Joubert Botha
