It's okay to be selfish (sometimes)
We all know the importance of health and well-being and how being unhealthy can affect you in negative ways. Most people when you talk about health will automatically think about physical well-being or physical illnesses, however health goes so much deeper than that. Only in the past few years has there been a big emphasis on how important mental health is and how this can affect everyone at different stages in life. This is why it's so important to take care of ourselves and to do things that are in your best interests and that make you happy, even if it means disappointing others.
Often when trying to please people, we don't realise this can cause us stress and can affect our relationships with others. Obviously doing things for others is a positive thing, although if it's affecting your health it may be time to take a step back and re-evaluate what's more important. There are lots of simple ways in which you can look after your mental health on the daily.
It's okay to turn down plans
So you feel bad because you haven't seen your pal for a couple of weeks but at the same time you've had the most stressful/toughest two weeks and all you want is some down time for yourself. That's okay. If you're not feeling good for any reason, it's perfectly okay and justifiable to want some time for yourself away from others. Doesn't matter if you take yourself to the cinema, to dinner, or take a bath and watch a good film in bed by yourself, time alone is essential. It doesn't make you a bad friend or a negative anti social person You should never feel bad for saying on the odd occasion, "I wanna just do something for me tonight, can we do something next week instead?"
Do things that make you happy
This seems like an obvious one to most but you'd be surprised by the amount of people who stay in situations and do things that don't make them happy. As flawed human beings, we're often quite self-destructive in our behaviours and we can do things that are not the best for us. Finding things that make you happy and indulging in them when you can is really good for your mental health. These don't have to be major things. It can be spending time with friends, going to your favourite exercise class or reading a good book.
Put yourself first
Attending to your own needs and wants is super important. We're often putting friends and family before ourselves and that's a very good thing to do. However, looking after yourself first is important because if you don't, you will end up worn down and burnt out. It's honestly not a big deal to sometimes put your own feelings before someone else's. There's only so much you can give before you need to take a little for yourself.
Often when trying to please people, we don't realise this can cause us stress and can affect our relationships with others. Obviously doing things for others is a positive thing, although if it's affecting your health it may be time to take a step back and re-evaluate what's more important. There are lots of simple ways in which you can look after your mental health on the daily.
It's okay to turn down plans
So you feel bad because you haven't seen your pal for a couple of weeks but at the same time you've had the most stressful/toughest two weeks and all you want is some down time for yourself. That's okay. If you're not feeling good for any reason, it's perfectly okay and justifiable to want some time for yourself away from others. Doesn't matter if you take yourself to the cinema, to dinner, or take a bath and watch a good film in bed by yourself, time alone is essential. It doesn't make you a bad friend or a negative anti social person You should never feel bad for saying on the odd occasion, "I wanna just do something for me tonight, can we do something next week instead?"
Do things that make you happy
This seems like an obvious one to most but you'd be surprised by the amount of people who stay in situations and do things that don't make them happy. As flawed human beings, we're often quite self-destructive in our behaviours and we can do things that are not the best for us. Finding things that make you happy and indulging in them when you can is really good for your mental health. These don't have to be major things. It can be spending time with friends, going to your favourite exercise class or reading a good book.
Put yourself first
Attending to your own needs and wants is super important. We're often putting friends and family before ourselves and that's a very good thing to do. However, looking after yourself first is important because if you don't, you will end up worn down and burnt out. It's honestly not a big deal to sometimes put your own feelings before someone else's. There's only so much you can give before you need to take a little for yourself.
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