Putting oneself first before others might sound selfish. That could be, when since childhood we’re taught to be unselfish and serve others first before ourselves.

While this teaching is good, it can’t serve us well when we’re not putting things in the right perspective. By putting others above everything, we find a lot of unhappy people playing the role of victims because they simply lost touch of themselves.

How can we best serve others if we’re unhappy, burnt out, and feel not taken cared of? We have to have an ample self-realization before we can become the kind-hearted individuals others expect us to be.

Thus, before we go out into the world to love others, we have to have enough self-love to sustain us in the process. And that begins with putting our self first.

Here are more of the reasons why putting yourself first matters.

5 Reasons You Should Take Loving Care of Yourself Before Everything Else:

1. Your health is your wealth.

Your biggest asset is your health. If you kept on postponing your checkup because of the more important things to deal with at the moment, you’re only making the matters worse.

Don’t ignore when your body sends you signals that say something is not alright. Even if the symptoms aren’t that bad, finding out the possible causes for your discomfort earlier is a wise thing to do.

The more you ignore it, the worse it could become. It would then be too late. And when you’re sick, you’re no longer able to serve the people who matters to you.

A disease or illness could even hinder you from achieving your goals. Taking care of your health means taking care of the people you love. It’s as simple as that.

2. Your work can wait.

Your career is important, but it does not mean you have to give in to all its demands. Working too much, which includes lots of overtime, can wreck havoc to your health, relationships, and even your work performance in the long run.

Your work is not the only thing that you live for. You also have your family, loved ones, and your own life to live and take care of.

Establishing a boundary in your work life is a necessity. If not, your boss is likely to push you too hard and will demand more than you can offer.

When you have your boundaries, you can spend time with your family, as well as take the much needed rest that enables you to work with more energy, creativity, and enthusiasm.

3. Self care rituals enhance your well being.

Giving time to yourself for self care gives you tons of benefits. Not only will it enhances your mental well being, it provides you with a renewed energy too.

When you do things that make you feel better, like having a massage, gardening, or cooking your favorite food, you’re increasing your chances of staying healthy.

Doing the things that you love is one way of reducing your stress levels.

Whenever you feel life is getting out of hand, take some time off for self care. The better it is if you have self care rituals done on a regular basis.

4. Confidence makes you attractive.

A confident person is one who is able to appreciate the beautiful things in others without a tint of envy. You can only appreciate others genuinely when you have appreciated yourself first.

Give yourself a pat on the back whenever you’ve done something right. Compliment yourself when you notice how beautiful you are today.

When you’re able to smile at yourself in the mirror, you’re likely to smile at others in a loving way. Feeling good with yourself increases your confidence level and makes you more attractive.

5. Your relationships will get better.

If ever you’re the type of person who always put others first before yourself, you’re likely to exhaust yourself, feel tired, or constantly in a bad mood. And people don’t want to be around with someone whose energy sucks.

But when you put yourself first, you’re giving everybody the message that you’re an energetic and competent person who has enough willpower to solve issues and provide assistance.

People will benefit from your higher energy vibration. Because of this, everyone will gravitate towards you and your relationships will doubtlessly improve.

Putting yourself first is not selfish. It is an act of love to yourself that extends to other people and the world in general.

Source: https://themindsjournal.com/the-importance-of-putting-yourself-first/;