Take care of yourself

How often do we show up as ourselves? How often do we make decisions based on the needs of our authentic self? 

I am a people pleaser. I enjoy doing things to help others. While sometimes it is okay for me to put the needs of others before my own, it shouldn’t be how I live my everyday life. If I am constantly pushing my own work and needs aside to help someone else, then I am not being true to myself. 

This is so incredibly hard for me. Honestly, I don’t know how to balance it all. I want to be a caring, thoughtful, loving person. I also want to take better care of myself. Therefore, I need to audit my intentions and look at the whole situation before I make my decisions. Why do I want to help? Is it because they need me or because I want them to like me? 

Sometimes we just need to dissect it all and see why we do the things that we do. If I am acting out of love, then I should definitely do it. However, if I want to help someone else for any other reason, then I should be truthful with myself. Especially, if it will cause hardship in my own life. And when it causes hardship, then I can’t give with an open heart. I usually feel some type of resentment. 

God wants us to help other people. But first, we have to help ourselves. In an emergency situation, we should put on our oxygen mask before we try to help someone else. We should pay our bills before we help someone else pay their bills. We should do our work before we offer to help someone else with their work. 

When we pour into ourselves, then we will have more to give others without breaking ourselves in the process. Let’s use a cup of water as an example. If we are constantly pouring out of our cup, then it will eventually be empty —without enough to nourish our soul. However, if we constantly pour into ourselves and nourish our own souls, then we will be able to pour from the overflow, instead of emptying the cup. 

The first person that God wants us to care for is ourselves. Then we will have so much more energy, love, compassion, and patience to give other people. 

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