Taking care of yourself, aka self care, is something that sounds so simple, yet it’s something we tend to overlook upon.
I grew up in an environment where I was trained to put others’ needs in front of my own.
As the middle child in an Asian family, I was always seeking others’ approval. Lots of attention was put onto my little brother, while my talented sister was always praised upon. I was not the youngest (boy), nor was I as smart as my older sister. Hence, I just did what I know best – take care of others. I learned to help others, to be selfless, and to tend to their needs more than my own.
For a long time, I did put others’ needs in front of my own. I thought that was the right thing to do. But I’ve come to realize that if you don’t take care of yourself first, you will soon experience burn out, mentally and physically. You simply cannot continue to give if you do not have anymore to give.
I also wrote a post on different ways to take care of yourself when feeling depressed or uninspired – read more here.
Some people are born wanting to tend to other’s needs. When others are happy, they are happy too. There is nothing wrong with that. But in order to keep serving others, you must first treat to your own physical and mental needs. You must be happy, healthy, and feel fulfilled so you can be your best self for this world. You must fill yourself first with so much positive energy that it overflows and you can pass it on to the ones you care about.
Always, always, focus on yourself FIRST.
Besides setting goals for the new year, taking care of yourself should be an actual resolution too. In order to accomplish all the things you want to do, you must also be in a well state to do so.
To make this “self care”mentality more feasible, I wrote down 10 acts that I’m going to focus on this year to take care of myself better.
10 Acts of Self Care for the New Year
- Take small breaks in between staring at the screen every hour
- Wake up & end my day without using my phone
- No social media after 10pm
- Read daily
- Eat nutritiously and drink lots of water
- Take care of my body and skin
- Meditate daily
- Attend yoga classes, and stretch daily
- Exercise at least twice a week
- Love and shower myself with positivity and care endlessly. Be my own personal cheerleader.
I wrote down lists of it to place in my journal, my wallet, and put onto my wall. These are actually 10 difficult tasks for me, but I will hold myself accountable and keep trying. This will be my sacred list that is looked upon and reminded of every day.
So how about you?
What do you need this year, mentally and physically, to make yourself happier, healthier, and more fulfilled?
Perhaps it is having more time to yourself, learning to say no, or simply take days off from work for travel. Focus on yourself first, your needs and wants, that is the first step to being more aware of your current state and start doing something about it.
” The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself.” – Steve Maraboli
For 2018, let’s all focus on taking care of ourselves first, and all else will soon follow.
Cheers,
Shir
Shirley Huang is a Certified Life Coach, Podcast Host, and online educator. She provides weekly resources to help people become leaders in their life, while loving themselves and having fun a long the way. Check out her Life Coaching Programs here.