Struggling with Self-Care: Overwhelmed and Guilty

You know how, on a plane, they remind you to put your oxygen mask on first, before you try to help anyone else? Well, you can apply this thinking to self-care, too. Also, you can’t pour from an empty cup. Remember that, by taking care of yourself 1st & foremost, you’ll guarantee that you will be better able to be of help & service to others around you, than if you just tried to put their needs & wants before your own. Self-care IS taking care of & assisting others because you cannot give 100%, if you are running on empty or only half capacity. Helping yourself helps others because you will be at your best. It is not a selfish act to take care of you. Try to see it from an outside perspective… If you are in need of assistance, do you want help from someone who has very little to nothing to give, or do you want help from someone who has already taken care of their own needs enough, so that they can now fully focus on yours? You have nothing to feel guilty about, unless you are depriving the people around you of your best self, by failing to take the time and care needed to meet your own needs 1st. I, too, am a giver, who also struggles with similar issues, but all we can do is be mindful & aware of our bodies & minds, & the signals they send, so that we can take time to focus on ourselves, in order to fill up our proverbial cup & have what we need first, ensuring we’ll actually have something beneficial to offer when we are needed by others. You deserve care, just as they do. Take care of yourself 1st to make sure you take care of them as best you can. :)

I wish I knew how to do that but I think it's called time out