When was the last time you put yourself first?

Many times when people ask you to do something and you turn them down in favor of your own needs, they might label you as selfish.

At the time, you could be stressing out, or just need some time to relax. Overall, you want to care for yourself, but people won’t think about that because they’re only focusing on themselves.

Well, guess what? They’re the selfish ones, not you.

Ideally, they would try to understand where you’re coming from and probably help in any way they can. But that’s not always the case. You’re the one that cares about your health the most, and honestly, you might be the only one that does.

But here’s the good news: It’s not selfish to put yourself first.

There are so many ways you can benefit from putting yourself first. It’s important to take care of you. And don’t let anybody make you feel bad for doing so.

We all need to care for ourselves every now and then, and it’s okay to turn people down in order to do so. So with that said, here are 4 things to remember when you put yourself first.

1.) Focus on what matters

Think about how you feel at the moment. If you don’t feel fine mentally, emotionally, or even physically, then you need to focus on what matters: yourself. Everything else can be put on hold while you care for you. Your health is important, so you must make it a priority above everything else.

2.) Don’t feel guilty

Never feel guilty about putting yourself first, especially if people call you selfish for doing so. If anybody tries to make you feel bad, ignore them. They’re just upset because you’re not doing want they want, and it’s okay if they don’t understand. Don’t feel bad for looking after yourself!

3.) Your needs are important

Your needs matter more than the wants of others. Make them a priority! Cars needs maintenance checks from time to time or else they won’t function properly. Just like how people need care or else we won’t “perform” well. So follow your instincts regarding your health because your needs are important.

4.) You care the most

You care the most about your overall well-being. You how you feel and what you’re capable of doing at the moment. People don’t care as much as you do, or at all, about your health. So don’t hesitate to take care of yourself when you need to.

We all need time to recover from the many stressors of life. If you want to turn down others to take care of yourself, that’s okay. Put yourself first, and take care of you!