Putting yourself first is a lot harder than it sounds. By the time you combine work, kids, and a social life, you’re exhausted. It’s mentally draining. You don’t feel like you have the time or energy for eating healthy, working out, or doing hobbies that you enjoy. It’s hard, but the key to lifelong happiness is putting yourself first.
You, as a woman, are a human being with needs and desires. Not only are you a wife, sister, daughter, and friend, you are a woman with her own needs and wants. We all go through periods where we feel lost in others but finding ourselves again should be a lifelong mission.
Putting yourself first is a lifestyle change. It takes practice, and it’s a choice to live healthy and happy. You have to make that choice and you have to live with it consistently. Living healthy and happy can’t be a one-time decision. Putting yourself first means taking that daily list and prioritizing what is necessary for you.
Working out is a personal necessity. It makes you feel good, releases positive endorphins, and will eventually make you feel great about your body. Putting your workout first thing in the morning starts the day right, giving you a sense of empowerment and energy.
“You can’t pour from an empty cup.” This statement means that you can’t help others if you don’t help yourself first. Taking care of yourself through healthy eating, working out, and making yourself a priority. So, by working out in the morning, you create a positive energy that you can then share with the people around you.
There is an excuse for everything. There is a time for everything. Making time is a priority-based system. If you think to yourself, “I don’t have time for that” – you do. The difference is that you prioritize your time for other things. Self-care is a choice. If you want to put yourself, you might need to think long and hard about what you’re prioritizing.
Listen to Yourself
Listen to what your gut is telling you. Your body and mind know what you need. Listen to what they are saying and act on it. Listing is pointless without action. Then, once you’ve decided what you need, use it to create a purpose in life. When you’re working because you believe in what you’re working towards, it becomes worth it all. Once you find your purpose, life becomes easier to balance.
Create Steps to Success
Goals are wonderful and important, but even more than that, you need to create small daily steps to reach those larger goals. Write it all down. Whether its for work, health, or family, write it all down and put that list someone where you can read it again and again to motivate you.
Preparing for success is necessary. You can’t go through life without a plan if you want to succeed. Eventually, plans become habits and you’ll go through the motions without even thinking about it. Set out your workout clothes before you go to bed. Plan out your meals for the week ahead of time. Do what you need to do to make a commitment to yourself.
Be motivated! Remember why you want to reach those goals. Pull out your goal sheet and read it over. Think about how you felt when you wrote those goals down and push forward. It will get easier to stay motivated the longer you work at it.
Balance Is Key
You’re not going to be able to sustain a healthy lifestyle if you never give yourself a break. Find the balance between working hard and staying motivated and giving yourself a break. Help others but help yourself too. Don’t worry if you have trouble finding the balance at first – this takes time and practice.
You are important. You deserve to be happy and healthy. You need to do what you need to do to get there. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. If you are happy and you put the work into yourself, you’ll be able to put that strength and happiness towards others.
Heather Rider
