Why is it that far too often we put our own happiness on the back burner in a bid to please others? The reality is that this is an exceedingly common trait, with many of us choosing to push our own happiness aside in order to do what makes other people happy, and the fact is, it’s a problem.
This is a contributed post.
While it’s perfectly fine to help others and put your time into supporting your friends and family, it’s also important that you understand what it takes to prioritise your own happiness. This is something that a lot of people struggle with, because it can feel like a selfish process. However, it’s important to remember that prioritising yourself, and your personal needs, isn’t selfish.
Like the idea of prioritising your own happiness but not sure where to start? Below is a guide to some of the ins and outs of putting your happiness first and actually doing what makes your happy. Read on for everything that you need to know.
UNDERSTAND THAT IT’S OKAY TO BE SELFISH (SOMETIMES)
While you wouldn’t want to constantly put yourself first and deny your friends and family any of your time or focus, it’s perfectly fine to set aside time for yourself and the things you want within your day to day schedule. You can still help and support others, even if you take some time out for yourself, so don’t feel bad about taking time out for yourself and the things that you want.
THINK ABOUT YOUR OWN PERSONAL GOALS
It’s also important to take the time to think about what your own personal goals are, what you want to achieve from them, and how you can go about actually achieving them. For instance, it might be that you have some career aspirations that you’re keen to work towards achieving, or it might be that you would like to focus on your faith by taking a new christian course, for instance. It doesn’t matter what your goals are, just as long as you’re making time for yourself so that you can achieve them.
SET TIME ASIDE FOR YOURSELF
Of course, knowing how to set aside time for yourself and your needs isn’t always easy, so it’s important that you learn how to make time for yourself a priority. This is something that comes with time and practice. The more you practice making yourself, and your happiness, a priority, the easier it becomes.
A great tip for starting out is to create a schedule where you actually schedule in time for yourself and your needs. You can then use this schedule to plan for time spent with family and friends, as well as at work. This makes keeping your schedule manageable far easier to do, as you’re actively setting aside time for yourself and your needs.
There you have it, a simple guide to a few easy ways you can prioritise your own happiness and feel better as a result.
Youre so right. Even when we know what to do, and why we should prioritise ourselves, it’s easy to get caught up with other things and neglect our own wellbeing.