“I really need to look after myself.” How many times have you said those words?
Too often insights like “I really need to look after myself” become lost in the urgency of whatever jumps into your thinking in the next moment. Life constantly distracts us with things that seem to be more important and urgent than our need to care for ourselves.
Distractions are all around us. Sometimes they might look like a child crying, a work crisis, a breakup, politics, a virus,
the weather or any one of a million other things that stop us from putting ourselves first.
We are innocently conditioned to do for others before we do for ourselves and of course altruistically this sounds pretty good. We see ourselves as good people if we do for others first. If we are considerate and sacrifice for others our egos fill with pride, we can pat ourselves on the back and say, “look what a good person I am, look at what I do for others.” So we jump up and help others, unwittingly placing onto the back burner our own self care.
Ask yourself honestly, how many times have you done this in your own life? How many times have you neglected yourself? Say it with me “I am the priority.”
What I am asking you to do is to put yourself first, at least consider it. Give it a trial run and see what happens as the attention you put on yourself radiates out into the world. See what happens when the kindness you show yourself reflects itself in how you treat others. See what happens when you make your self a priority.
On the surface it may seem selfish, negligent or even ego centric but what if it isn’t? What if when we put attention on ourselves first, not from a place of fear or ego but from a place of love? Might we discover that the love we give ourselves multiplies as it expands to those around us.
I challenge you for the next week to be your first priority! Love yourself first and see if it is easier to love others. Take care of yourself first and see if it is easier to take care of others. Be there for yourself first and see if it is easier to be there for others.
Try this out, see what happens. I dare you.
Check out this entry for more like this.
