I would venture to bet that the concept of "love yourself”It never even occurred to you in the last few years. This is normal given that every day we have to face so many activities and situations that we often forget about ourselves, thus relegating ourselves to a second level to dedicate ourselves completely to work and to the people we love.
Over the years I have noticed that people who generally suffer from depression, anxiety and stress are often the most diligent, hardworking and selfless. This is perfectly understandable, as these people always end up overloading with
activities that cause them enormous physical and emotional stress.
Loving yourself does not mean being selfish
Many people think that worrying about their emotional health means being selfish. Nothing is further from the truth. Taking care of yourself will allow you to help others better. If you think about it: How can you be more productive or take care of others if you don't worry about your well-being first? In short, if we are not happy and satisfied how can we transmit happiness and satisfaction to those around us?
If we want to help people close to us or are thinking of getting involved in an important work project, first of all we should make sure that we have the energy and psychological resources necessary to face the needs that will arise along the way.
To take care of yourself you must learn to listen to your body and your emotions. Our body sends us signals all the time to tell us that something is not working; we just have to pay attention. Likewise, sadness, anger, or frustration are emotional signals that there is an underlying problem, an unresolved issue.
Think of your emotional health and the need to care for yourself as if it were the case of a nurse's health. If the nurse has the flu but continues to work without taking care of herself she will eventually infect the patients she comes in contact with. Therefore, it is always advisable to take the time to look within ourselves and do everything to resolve outstanding problems in order to regain strength.
Learn to receive
While it may seem counterintuitive, sometimes people who care too much for others often suffer from "Superman Syndrome", that is, they believe they can do anything. Even if they are always willing to help others, it is hard for them to ask for help and even reject it when it is offered. As you can imagine, with this attitude they only get to overload themselves with activities that will end up presenting them with the bill.
But to help others effectively, we must also learn to receive, accept help when we need it, and recognize our vulnerability. So we can put ourselves in each other's shoes and be more empathetic.
Giving and receiving help makes us more human, puts us on the same level and brings us emotionally closer to each other. Let's not forget it.
