For many people, nurturing and giving to others comes easily. While being selfless and generous are both wonderful qualities in any person, just as critical is learning to take care of yourself. You will be surprised at how important it is to put yourself first so that you can continue to be there for the people that mean the most to you. Somehow along the way, people have confused taking care of yourself as being selfish. This is the furthest thing from the truth. Without proper care, you will undoubtedly hit a wall with your energy and morale. Taking just a little time on yourself can greatly improve your ability to give and live a more meaningful life. Here are a few things you can do to take care of yourself.
Rest
While it may be very tempting to take on everything that is asked of you, proper rest should not be sacrificed. Rest allows your body to heal and your mind to regenerate so that you are focused, alert, and capable of offering your best ideas and strategies.
Have a Check-Up
Don’t ignore your health. Remember to attend regularly scheduled doctor’s appointments and check-ups. It can be very easy to ignore your own needs while you are attending to the needs of others, but your health matters. Keeping yourself in the best health possible will guarantee that you are around longer to do the things that you enjoy.
Have Fun
Give yourself permission to let loose. Do something that makes you laugh! Go on a hike, go dancing, go to a movie—do something that gets you out of your regular routine. The new energy and light-heartedness will be a breath of fresh hair that allows you to tackles things with a newfound positivity.
Go on Vacation
Even if your life’s passion is helping others, remember to walk away from that sometimes. Give yourself the opportunity to have a vacation even if it means just vegging out on your couch for a few days. Sometimes, giving of yourself, while rewarded, can be exhausting. Giving yourself a timeout will allow you to regroup and go back at it with full force.
Learn to Say No
Despite what you may think, you can’t do everything. The world will not topple over if you say no to doing something. Take time to evaluate your schedule, both professional and personal, to be able to determine if you can really invest more time in anything. Be honest with yourself. Your time is precious and should be spent between a balance of doing things you enjoy and giving yourself time to relax.
In a Nutshell
Giving and being there for people is a remarkable thing. However, you have to learn to treat your mind, body, and spirit like any other resource. You have to maintain yourself in order to continue to do the things that you want to do. Allowing yourself to become overly exhausted, stretched thin, or overwhelmed does the world no good. Learn to take care of yourself so you can operate at your best potential and live a happier, more productive life.
