To the givers of the world,

You are the person that is always there for everyone else. You check in on them, you reach out even when they aren’t reaching back. Because you are the kind of person that cares. You are the kind of person that takes on other’s problems as your own so that they don’t have to go through it alone. But this also leaves you as the person with all of the heart ache and no one else to turn to. Because you wouldn’t want to risk upsetting someone else by telling them the things haunting your mind, you wouldn’t want to burden anyone else with what is troubling you.

You keep pouring your heart out to help everyone around you, but this leaves you empty. When you’re constantly giving of yourself, it is so easy for people to keep taking. They don’t realize how they’re leaving you. They see your smile, they hear your encouraging words, they feel your love because this is what you do for them. They don’t see the sleepless nights, they don’t hear the worry in your voice, they don’t feel the frustration of not being able to fix them. You set no limits with these people because what if there was more you could do? But with no limits they can drain you entirely, because how could anyone know when they need to stop.

Know that no matter how badly you wish to fix everyone, there are some things you cannot change. And that this is okay. Love them anyway. You do not need to fix someone in order to help someone. Being the kind of friend that you are, you change people’s lives for the better every day. You do not need to take away all the problems of the world in order to make a day brighter, a heart a little lighter. You have no idea how life changing it can be just to know that you have someone like you on your side. Because you know you have someone that is an unconditional friend, it is a little easier to take on the world. Know that you are making a difference even when it doesn’t feel like it. And know that it is appreciated even when it doesn’t always seem like it. Everyone that has you as a friend is better for it. Keep this in mind and know that you are loved just as much as you love.

Don’t change your heart of gold. Don’t stop supporting your loved ones and don’t stop loving with everything you have. But remember to love yourself too. Remember that you deserve to have someone that reciprocates your support. A relationship is give and take, so neither one of you has to be empty. When someone cares for you as much as you care for them, it won’t leave you feeling the way you often do. It won’t burn you out. Set your limits. You don’t deserve to drown in order to keep others afloat.