For as long as you can remember, you were always putting others first. You thought that was the only right thing to do and that anything else would be selfish.
But I am here to tell you that there is a great difference between being selfish and prioritizing yourself from time to time.
There are situations in which putting yourself first is the only option you have and when it’s more than OK to do it. Here are 6 of them.
1. When you feel like you’ve had enough
There are times when we all feel like we are overwhelmed and that we can’t take it anymore. And although you may feel that this is a sign of weakness, this is a perfectly normal thing to feel.
You don’t know what it is but you just feel like you’ve had enough of everything. And this is one of the situations where you need to put yourself first.
What you need to do is to give yourself a break and leave everything you are doing and move away from everyone who is burdening you. Sometimes, other people’s problems simply become too much for you.
It is always OK to step aside and to put yourself first whenever you’re feeling like this.
2. When you are the one who needs help
If you are a sensitive empath, you are always there for everyone else. You take care of them, you listen to them and you are never too busy to help them with all of their problems and issues.
But there are times when you are the one who needs help. Usually, in these situations, there is no one around you to help you.
This is when you should put yourself first because you are the only one who can help yourself.
You may think it’s selfish to put your own problems before everyone else’s but actually this is the only natural thing to do.
3. When you are around toxic people
Sometimes, the closest people to us are the most toxic ones. And that is one of the hardest things to accept in life.
These are the people who mean everything to you and the people who were in your life for as long as you can remember.
But,that doesn’t mean they are good for you. So, whenever you feel that someone brings negativity to your life, deep down you know you need to cut this person out of your life. But you feel guilty for even considering it.
And I am here to tell you that cutting toxic people out of your life is exactly what you need to do, no matter how hard it seems.
This is one of the things you need to do for yourself, because these are the people who will only leave you with emotional scars and that is the last thing you want or need.
4. When you are putting in too much effort
There are times when you feel like you are the only one putting all the effort into a relationship with someone.
This doesn’t only include romantic relationships but also friendships and family relations. You see that you are the only one fighting for the other person and the only one who gives a damn.
Whenever you feel like this, it’s time to put yourself first. It’s time to stop trying so hard around someone who doesn’t match your efforts and who doesn’t love you the way you love them. And there is nothing selfish in that.
5. When you are trying to save someone who doesn’t want to be saved
You are someone who sees the good in every person you encounter. You think that some people just need to be loved for them to become better.
You want to fix everyone who’s been broken in the past and you want to heal everyone who’s been hurt. You think of yourself as this superwoman who can save everyone.
But sometimes, there are people who don’t want to be saved, despite all of your efforts. And that is a situation in which you have to give up on those people, as much as it hurts.
Because you won’t change them or save them, you’ll only be destroyed by their negativity and that is the last thing you need.
6. When you are with someone who doesn’t deserve you
We’ve all been in a situation in which we try hard around someone who doesn’t deserve us, when we stay with someone who brings us pain, who takes us for granted and who will never see our true value.
But for some reason, we still choose that person over ourself. And I am here to tell you to stop doing that. There are times when you need to choose yourself over everyone else, if you want what’s best for you.
I know you probably think of this as selfish, but trust me—when you do it, you’ll realize that it was the best decision you’ve ever made.