Why It’s Important to Save Yourself First!

Let’s face it; if you don’t take control of your own happiness, health, and well being, no one else is going to do it for you. It’s time that we realize that catering to everyone else’s needs before our own doesn’t lead us to being the best versions of ourselves that we can be. Often times it leads us to fatigue, unhappiness, a sense of not being fulfilled, health problems, burn out, and the inability to sleep. We are left tired, stressed out, and emotionally, mentally, and physically drained.

Most of us probably don’t listen to the stewardess go over the safety instructions when we fly but we could take away a BIG LESSON in life if we did…”Make sure to put your own oxygen mask on first before assisting others.”

In that tired, stressed out, drained state we aren’t much good to anyone including ourselves. We aren’t living each day to it’s full potential and sharing the gift that each one of us has to offer.

Life is too short to not live it to the fullest!

Is Self-Care Selfish?

Taking time for us is often associated with being selfish. We feel guilty if we set boundaries with our friends and family to meet our own needs. We use the excuse that we “don’t have time” to exercise, or simply relax doing something we enjoy. What you will find when you practice self-care on a regular basis is that you are more productive and don’t need as much time to get the things done that you need to. You will waste less energy mentally and physically because you will be fully engaged in what you are doing at any given time. It is proven that regular exercise, clean nutrition (avoiding gluten, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, etc.), quality sleep, and meditation all increase productivity.

I can’t quite understand how taking care of ourselves by carving out time to meditate, exercise, do yoga, take a walk, relax in the bath, read a good book, make a nutritious meal at home, or time to just simply be alone is selfish.

Is it our own belief that taking the time to care for our needs is selfish or are we taking on someone else’s belief? The great thing is that we have control over our own mindset. We can change our mindset and self-talk to reflect these actions positively. “I take time daily to care for my body, mind, and spirit.”

Daily Self-Care

Don’t wait for your birthday, or any other special occasion to celebrate YOU! We take the best care of ourselves by establishing daily self-care habits. This can be as small as setting aside 5 minutes to sit quietly and focus on your breathing. Keep in mind that daily self-care to increase our health and well being doesn’t need to take up a lot of time.

Self Care can be…

• Taking a detox bath
• Going for a short walk in nature
• Taking a nap or going to bed early
• Preparing a delicious meal that supports your nutrition plan and sitting down to enjoy it
• Writing in a gratitude journal
• Talking with a friend, spouse, or family member
• Exercising
• Meditation
• Reading a good book
• Engaging in your favorite hobby
• Massage
• Writing down and reading positive affirmations
• Any behavior or activity that increases your health and well being

 Each individual needs to identify what self-care is/means for them. For me, self-care is moving my body daily, reading daily for at least 30 minutes, making rest a priority, exercising, and maintaining a my stretching for my Ironman races.