What does putting yourself mean to you? For me, it means taking time out of my day just for me. In the form of my morning routine, going to the gym and anything else I may need. Does it take up a fair chunk of time each day? Absolutely, but for someone who had experienced burnout and struggled for years to get back to where he was, prioritising myself is especially important. Creating these habits and making sure I stick to them almost every day has been one of the best things to help prioritise myself.

A lot of people think taking care of yourself, and putting yourself first means not helping others or being selfish. This is completely wrong. You can still help others while taking care of yourself. In an aeroplane, the safety briefing says to put on your own lifejacket before helping anyone else. If you can't help yourself, you won't be able to help anyone else. At the end of the day, to be able to be there for others, help them and prioritise them you need to prioritise yourself first. You are the only person in your life that you have and will continue to deal with everyday.

Your Loved Ones Want You To Take Care Of Yourself

The people who love you, want you to take care of yourself. If someone tries to make you feel bad, or pushes you not to take care of yourself, do you really think that they care about you? Or do they just care about what you can do for them?  People who care about you want to see you happy, healthy and enjoying life. When you are taking time out to do things for you, how much better do you feel? How much more energy do you have for yourself and others? But when you don't do this, you are more stressed, tired and irritable. People around you will notice this. And if this is something that lasts a while, it can affect your relationships.

Want To Enjoy Life? Live, Don't Exist.

5 years ago I was stressed, overwhelmed and eventually burnt out. I was tired all the time and definitely not enjoying life as much as I could.  I needed a break, but couldn't, because if I stopped my business would suffer. Eventually, I had no choice and left my business completely. It was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made, but retrospectively it was the best one I could have made.

When you are burnt out, you deplete the hormones that make you feel good, like serotonin. When you are doing something you would usually enjoy you just won't have fun because your body isn't producing the right feel good hormones. Sometimes you need to step back, find the root cause of what is burning you out, and that can be one of the best things you can do for yourself. 

Make Sure You Take A Break

There is always something else that needs to be done. Whether it is more chores around the house, or another item off the to do list for your business, you will always have to do something else. That's life, and there's nothing wrong with that. But when you don't take a step back and make sure you are having enough rest and enough 'me time' then that is where the issues start. It is natural to want to say yes to everything and get it all done.

When you don't give yourself a break your body will go into survival mode. You will get stressed and burnout can occur easier. When you overextend yourself, and don't get enough of a break your body will start to take a toll and everything else in your life will suffer as a result. When I stopped taking breaks from my business, my health because to decline and my relationships suffered. I noticed the moment I stopped working as hard, things improved in all aspects of my life. That is the reason I always ensure I take enough breaks. Rest has always been an amazing tool for stress management. If you feel you need an extra boost to improve your stress management try Stress Less. It is a tasty powder blend that can help you get back on track to prioritising yourself.

People Can Feel Your Mood

People feel the energy you bring when you're around them. If you are in an amazingly, elated mood, they will know. While the inverse is true when you're down, exhausted and have no energy. By taking care of yourself, you will be able to take care of those around you. People respond to your energy, whether you realise it or not. So by making sure you are taken care of, you are rested and have low stress levels you can help those around you too.

The best thing you can do is say no to things that don't serve you, and that aren't good for you. If that means not going out with your friends because you need to rest, do it. In the long run you will feel better for it. Taking time to serve yourself and your needs makes everyone better off in the long run.