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You’re a parent, school volunteer, Little League coach, and trusted assistant to your boss. You’ve been up since 6 a.m., made breakfast, packed lunches, cleaned the house, chauffeured the neighborhood kids, helped with homework, read bedtime stories, and finished extra work from the office.It’s 11:30.You’re exhausted.And, in about six-and-a-half hours you’ll begin the whole 24-hour cycle…again. If you find yourself saying ‘Stop the merry-go-round, I want to get off!’ you’re not alone. Most of us—especially women, but men too (hey, there are reasons that men die younger than women)—have at some time found ourselves at the bottom of the heap when it comes to taking care of our needs. The problem with that is that if we don’t take care of ourselves, sooner or later we won’t be of much use to anyone else—or to ourselves. Just as the airline attendant tells you to put on your own oxygen mask in an emergency before helping a child with theirs, you must take care of your own basic needs before you can attend to the needs of others. What’s more, being busy is not necessarily the same as being productive with meaningful activity. (Do the workaholics you know really accomplish that much more in proportion to the time they invest?) If “putting yourself first” (a common admonition) sounds too selfish or too hard, try something simpler: put yourself on an equal footing with those you love and tend to. Do you insist that they get enough sleep? Start making that a priority for yourself too. Do you give them time for fun and socializing with friends? Then you do the same! Remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: human beings must meet their basic needs before they can move on to higher-level goals. Since most of us already know that we should take care of ourselves—but often have trouble figuring out how to do it, here are some guidelines for getting there:
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Health & Wellness Articles › Healthy LifestylesPut Yourself FirstReach Other Goals by Starting With Your Self-- By Rebecca Pratt, Staff WriterSparkPeople advertisers help keep the site free! Learn more
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About The Author
Rebecca Pratt
A freelance writer who contributes to various newspapers and magazines, Becky loves covering ordinary people doing extraordinary things. |
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Member Comments
I especially like your analogy at the end re life and a checking account - that has created some mental pictures and more with me. I'll need to get my head around that and come back stronger - thanks again. - 10/18/2012 4:57:58 PM
ng/etc. i keep trying to tell myself that if i run myself into the ground now i won't be of any use to anyone later on. - 10/18/2012 7:16:34 AM
- 9/27/2012 12:48:32 PM
thank you, for the "Birthday Wishes" - 9/22/2012 5:07:28 PM