My mother always said "Take care only for yourself" - she was right and wrong in the same time. It's a fine line, but over the past year, especially this past month, I've been learning the delicate art of self-care and the true meaning behind it. Caring for others can be one of life's greatest joys, but it can also be a significant challenge.
When you are in this position, whether it is for children, aging parents, or other loved ones, your focus and energy are often directed towards meeting their needs. It can be easy to lose sight of your own well-being and neglect self-care while pouring all of your time and energy into caring for others. Finding balance between caring for others and caring for yourself is a struggle.
On one hand, the act of caring for someone else can bring about a sense of purpose and fulfillment that is difficult to replicate in any other aspect of life. It allows us to show love and support to those who depend on us, which can bring great joy and satisfaction. But, when the responsibility becomes overwhelming or consuming, it can lead to feelings of exhaustion, burnout, and resentment.
It is crucial to recognize that taking care of yourself is not selfish, in fact, it is essential for maintaining your physical, emotional well-being and balanced life. To provide the best care possible to others, you must first take care of yourself. Just like how flight attendants instruct passengers on airplanes to put on their oxygen mask before assisting others - you cannot effectively help others if you are not taking care of yourself first.
And another most important lesson that she taught me was the importance of setting boundaries. It was easy for me to get caught up in constantly putting other people's needs before my own. By establishing clear boundaries and communicating them effectively to those around me, I was able to carve out time for myself without feeling guilty about it.
Once I realized that taking care of myself first allowed me to be more present and attentive when caring for others. Whether it was taking a few minutes each day for meditation, gym or indulging in my favorite hobbies, I was able to schedule regular self-care activities into my daily routine.
But most importantly for having balancing life and self-care is to understand your own limitations It is important to accept that. You cannot do everything on your own and that it's okay to not always have everything under control. Each person has their limit in terms of energy, time, and resources. Identify what these limits are for yourself so that you don't push yourself beyond what you can handle.
And if you need help ask or tell them I can't right now. We are humans after all. This way you will see who is using your goodness and who's truthful. Sometimes I felt like I need to do everything on my own because I know the best way to take care of my loved ones needs. Swallow you ego and ask for assistance when needed. At the end she was right about self-carrying but partially wrong. Thanks for reading.
Let our children not grow up in a terrible world. Together we can make it better. It is our destiny to
suffer from the past, to long for the future, but to forget the present.
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