It is lovely to do things to help other people, to support them, to listen, to give love and to be there for people in every way that you can be. It’s also equally important to be there for yourself.Don’t change who you are – your kindness, your ability to give, your strength are all things that should be celebrated but it is absolutely not selfish to do what’s best for you.
Self care can look different for everyone. For some people it might be a spa day, a treat or an indulgence. For others it might look a little more ‘boring’ like taking the time to tidy a room in the house. It might be making a list of all the things you like about yourself, or making a list of goals. It might be celebrating the fact that you even got out of bed today. It could be taking a step back from the responsibilities of life and just taking even 10 minutes to yourself. Perhaps it’s meditation, or having a hot bath. It might be calling a friend, or baking the best kind of cake, or listening to your favourite song (can we just take a minute to appreciate that Lizzo exists…). I’m no expert, but whatever your version of self care looks like it’s so important not to let that slide in favour of everything and everyone else.
You are gold, you are important, you deserve love. You deserve happiness. Remind yourself of that especially on the days when loving yourself feels hard.
Most importantly, realise that those qualities of yours: kindness, your ability to keep going; whatever it might be, they are not weaknesses. Don’t stop doing those things. Just be there for yourself too.
(As a side note, it is so very important to understand that other people might just be engaging in self care too – everybody needs it so it is vital not to pressure others to give more than they are able to and not to demand too much from people. At the end of the day, we are all just human beings trying our best to get through the day.)
Just A Drop in the Emotion 