When did you last stop to think about your own needs without also thinking about what someone else wanted for you?
There is nothing wrong with putting effort into relationships with people you care about or focusing on finding a new friend or romantic partner. People need love, closeness, and company, so when you go after those things, you are putting the focus on yourself.
It is also likely that your relationships will not do well if you never stop thinking about other people.
Still, ignoring your own dreams and goals can still slow you down. If you spend your whole life trying to make other people happy, you might not feel very happy yourself. Over time, you might start to feel tired or even lost.
Putting your own needs first is not selfish. It is a way to love yourself. But if you are used to putting other people first, it can be hard to change gears. These ideas can help.
Get to know yourself better.
If you do not know who you are, it can be hard to figure out what you want from life. You can not do much to reach your goals, live by your values, or meet your needs if you do not know who you are as a person.
Big events can push you to grow and help you see how you have already changed. As new parts of yourself come to light for the first time, this light may make you question things you thought you knew about yourself.
You might not like this new information about yourself right away, especially if it goes against what you already know about yourself. But if you do not notice how much you have grown, you might feel unfinished and unfulfilled.
This uncertainty can start to affect your emotional health, how you feel about yourself, and your relationships with other people. You can adjust to these changes in yourself more easily if you look at them with an open mind.
Try to be kind to yourself.
Caring about other people is a good thing. Focusing on your friends and family and giving them emotional support when they are struggling shows that you care and makes your relationships stronger.
Kindness and other acts of prosocial behaviour, like helping other people, can even improve well-being by making people feel happier.
Just do not forget to be kind and compassionate to yourself the same way you are to other people.
Maybe you are always there for a friend when they need kind words, a hug, or something to take their mind off of something, but what about when you need those things? Like many other people, you might hold yourself to higher standards and start to talk badly to yourself.
This last one is the key to keeping the right balance between caring about yourself and caring about other people. When you spend all of your time and energy on other people, you do not have much left for yourself. When you take care of your own needs first, such as booking that rhinoplasty procedure you have always wanted, you will be much better able to help the people you care about.
We’re very proud to bring you this feature in association with Loving At Your Best and Mr Nizar Hamadeh. For more features, please pay a visit to our lifestyle page.
