Monitoring Our Self-Care: Part One

We are no good to someone else if we don’t take care of ourselves first. It sounds selfish, and maybe it is, but it is also the truth. A hierarchy and a set priority must be put in place and strictly adhered to. Self-care must be first and foremost.

Hierarchy of care

Taking care of those closest to us would be next on the hierarchy of care. Doing what we can for those who we care about most is crucial. Last on the hierarchy leaves everyone else that you may encounter. This leaves a limited amount of time and energy to devote to those outside your inner circle.

As we devote more time to caring for ourselves and our loved ones, you would think with all of life’s innovations, that our frustrations might be mitigated - no chance. Be it robocalls, viruses, pop-up ads or the myriad of daily annoyances that we face, it all adds to our agitation.

Daily pressures compounded by the smaller annoyances in our lives only adds to our anxiety. Deflecting what sets you off, taking a fresh look, or just adjusting to the circumstances may be all it takes to lower your stress level.

Everyone needs help sometimes

Illness can cause us to alienate the wrong people in our lives, turn us to be bitter, appear to be self-centered, seem belligerent, or appear to be overly preoccupied with ourselves. Phase two (taking care of others) isn’t possible for long, if you’ve avoided the signs and lost sight of phase one (self-care). Now is the time to open your eyes and make amends, fast. Hurting the ones that you love can only last so long and you hurt those closest to you when you don’t take care of yourself.

If you aren’t aware of how you treat anyone trying to help you, then it is time to wake up. Everyone needs help at some time. Don’t alienate those who may be willing to lend a hand when you may need it most.

To read more from Karl Robb in the second part to this series, "Monitoring Our Self-Care: Part Two", click HERE.