Many people find themselves in the bad habit of trying to always help others. On the surface, this doesn’t sound like a bad habit or a problem at all. In fact, it sounds rather noble.
However, after extended periods of time, we start to prioritize the needs of others over the needs of ourselves, neglecting our most basic needs and wants, which can lead to some serious long term issues both physically and mentally.
Make Yourself a Priority
Though it may sound selfish, you need to make yourself a priority. You can’t effectively help others unless you’re in a sound enough state yourself. Instead of devoting as much time as possible to appeasing others, let yourself be happy for a change.
Don’t let yourself be trampled on for someone else to be happy, you deserve to be happy as well. Take control and learn how to make your mental and physical well-being a priority.
You Must Come First
Think of it as the flight instructions you get before you take off on a plane. You’re told to put your oxygen mask on before helping others, and there’s good reason for this. If you fail to put on your oxygen mask in time, you can become afflicted with hypoxia, which can prevent you from being able to help someone else put their mask on.
This same concept applies to self-care. You can’t reliably help others, even if you want to, before you learn how to help yourself. By taking care of yourself, you’ll learn to live a happier life, which others will take note of and start to possibly improve on theirs as well.
Helping Others
You can act as an influence, but you shouldn’t devote all of your time to being a life coach, especially when your life isn’t going exactly as you would have hoped. Even if you are able to get yourself in a spot where you’re comfortable and happy, you should wait until getting to that point before trying to give tips.
You shouldn’t be telling people how to solve their problems and improve their lives if you didn’t even go through that yourself because that’s just not a viable source. However, if you’ve made the efforts and seen what works and what doesn’t and you have taken care of yourself both physically and mentally, then you’ll feel a lot better giving advice to people than you would have before, knowing that it comes from a genuine place of care and concern.