It’s always so easy to put others first and forget about ourselves. For many people, it’s just the way they are and have always been, and their own health and wellbeing – and even happiness – can be entirely left behind when they are taking care of everyone else. The problem is that even though it’s good to help others, it’s also an issue because when we don’t put ourselves first, we’ll become sad and deflated and not want to do much at all.
However, by doing things that put ourselves first, we can have a much happier and more balanced life and improve our well being. This means we’ll actually be in a better position to help others in the end, so everyone’s happy. With that in mind, read on to find out how to put yourself first.
Setting clear boundaries is crucial if you want to put yourself first and create a healthy balance in your life. By working out what’s acceptable and what isn’t, you can protect your time and energy and makes sure that you can do the things you want to do instead.
One good place to start is to think about your needs and take the time to identify precisely what they are. Think about what activities make you happy and perhaps even what brings you a sense of purpose. These are the things that you need to focus on, and if anything happens around you, that means you can’t make time for the important things in life, it’s time to start saying no and put yourself first.
Saying no should be an easy thing to do – after all, it’s such a small word. But the problem is that when we say it, we’ll often feel bad, especially if we’re used to saying yes and trying to do everything for everyone (often forgetting about ourselves in the process). However, it’s crucial to say no if anything you’re asked to do goes against your priorities that you’ve already spent time setting. In this way, you will control your life in the way you want to and protect your precious time as well.
Keep Learning
Another great way to put yourself first is to keep learning. When you are always learning, not only are you discovering more and more interesting things, but you’re actually putting your personal growth ahead of other things – you’re thinking of yourself (and that’s not a bad thing to do). When you’re always learning, you’ll gain more knowledge and skills, and you’ll be able to look at things from different perspectives.
If there is something you’ve always wanted to know more about, this is obviously a good place to start when it comes to your learning journey, but even if there isn’t anything specific, learning about anything in any way (videos, blogs, books, workshops, formal education, and so on) will ensure you are putting yourself first. You’re investing in your future, and your happiness, and this kind of investment can pay off in many different ways.
Stop Feeling Guilty
One of the biggest obstacles that often stand in the way of putting yourself first will be a terrible feeling of guilt. Feeling guilty can mean that we don’t do things that are important to us and that would make us happy, and in the end, we’ll miss out on so much – it’s not very fair. This is why it’s so important to address these feelings and understand that self-care and putting yourself first is not something you should ever feel guilty about; it’s crucial for your health and wellbeing, just as it is for everyone else.
It sounds easy to say, but if you’re able to let go of the belief that you always have to put others before your own needs, you’ll start to see more things you can do to help yourself, whether it’s something simple like taking a nature walk or something that needs more careful consideration like finding a good facelift specialist.
You’ll also need to treat yourself with more kindness and compassion and be gentle with yourself. It’s easy to be harsh on yourself when you think you’ve been selfish or let someone down, but in many cases, this isn’t even what happened, and you’ll be feeling worse than anyone else involved. If you’re finding it really hard to stop feeling guilty, try speaking to someone who can give you a better perspective on things – this could be a professional like a therapist, or it could be friends and family who, once you explain the problem, will no doubt understand not want you to feel guilty at all.
Establish Boundaries
Setting clear boundaries is crucial if you want to put yourself first and create a healthy balance in your life. By working out what’s acceptable and what isn’t, you can protect your time and energy and makes sure that you can do the things you want to do instead.
One good place to start is to think about your needs and take the time to identify precisely what they are. Think about what activities make you happy and perhaps even what brings you a sense of purpose. These are the things that you need to focus on, and if anything happens around you, that means you can’t make time for the important things in life, it’s time to start saying no and put yourself first.
Saying no should be an easy thing to do – after all, it’s such a small word. But the problem is that when we say it, we’ll often feel bad, especially if we’re used to saying yes and trying to do everything for everyone (often forgetting about ourselves in the process). However, it’s crucial to say no if anything you’re asked to do goes against your priorities that you’ve already spent time setting. In this way, you will control your life in the way you want to and protect your precious time as well.
Keep Learning
Another great way to put yourself first is to keep learning. When you are always learning, not only are you discovering more and more interesting things, but you’re actually putting your personal growth ahead of other things – you’re thinking of yourself (and that’s not a bad thing to do). When you’re always learning, you’ll gain more knowledge and skills, and you’ll be able to look at things from different perspectives.
If there is something you’ve always wanted to know more about, this is obviously a good place to start when it comes to your learning journey, but even if there isn’t anything specific, learning about anything in any way (videos, blogs, books, workshops, formal education, and so on) will ensure you are putting yourself first. You’re investing in your future, and your happiness, and this kind of investment can pay off in many different ways.
Stop Feeling Guilty
One of the biggest obstacles that often stand in the way of putting yourself first will be a terrible feeling of guilt. Feeling guilty can mean that we don’t do things that are important to us and that would make us happy, and in the end, we’ll miss out on so much – it’s not very fair. This is why it’s so important to address these feelings and understand that self-care and putting yourself first is not something you should ever feel guilty about; it’s crucial for your health and wellbeing, just as it is for everyone else.
It sounds easy to say, but if you’re able to let go of the belief that you always have to put others before your own needs, you’ll start to see more things you can do to help yourself, whether it’s something simple like taking a nature walk or something that needs more careful consideration like finding a good facelift specialist.
You’ll also need to treat yourself with more kindness and compassion and be gentle with yourself. It’s easy to be harsh on yourself when you think you’ve been selfish or let someone down, but in many cases, this isn’t even what happened, and you’ll be feeling worse than anyone else involved. If you’re finding it really hard to stop feeling guilty, try speaking to someone who can give you a better perspective on things – this could be a professional like a therapist, or it could be friends and family who, once you explain the problem, will no doubt understand not want you to feel guilty at all.
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