Putting Yourself First

If you don't pick a day to relax, your body will pick it for you. Oftentimes, we become accustomed to pushing forward and working through whatever we have going on. We start to feel overwhelmed, stressed, tired, or sick and we continue on with our lives. When we do this we are forcing our bodies to over exert themselves which leads to burnout, getting sick, depression and more.

To avoid this, it is important to recognize the signs that you are not putting yourself first. Here are some of the most common signs:

• Overly tired

• Loss of motivation

• Disassociating from friends and family

• Having more negative thoughts

• Insomnia

• Physical symptoms such as headaches

• Change in appetite

• Feeling emotionally and/or physically drained

When you start to notice these things, it is important to put yourself first and give yourself a break and to not feel bad about it. Some things that may help:

• Doing a self care day at least once a week

• Planning or taking a trip to give you a break and give you something to look forward to

• Spending time doing hobbies you enjoy such as hiking, painting, exercising, etc.

• Spend a day doing nothing but relaxing