Helping Others in Need: Importance of Prioritizing Yourself

Introduction

I know people have spent so much of their time on other people, I know people have spread themselves so thin, that people don't remember the feeling of free time or what the word 'no' sounds like on their lips. It can be hard for some of us to know when to say enough is enough. Please know that even if you don't feel like you're ready, it's time to put yourself first. You are really important you need to care for yourself first that to start helping others in need. To start, I would like to give a list of important words I will be using such as affable, cultivate, languish, and clamor. All of this means that you should be more concerned about themselves than about others.

The Value of Helping Yourself Before Others

First of all, no one will look out for you as well as you will look out for yourself. When we care deeply for someone, we are likely to go to extreme measures to ensure the person is as happy as possible. Sometimes, when the care is not reciprocated, we feel hurt that others weren't willing to go to the same lengths for us. Things like loyalty, happiness, and care can't be measured, and we can't get annoyed when this happens because the other person is simply exercising a choice; we aren't responsible for - or able to control - other people's actions. Instead, we can invest in ourselves more, and once we receive positive results, we can invest in others. It's hard to tune out the noise in this crazy world and pay attention to what you know you need. There are so many conflicting outside forces that can get in the way, from friends to family to partners to whatever other influences that sneak into your head. When the going gets tough and you can't figure out where to turn, it's important to remember that you are your own best resource. It's imperative that you trust yourself, because the truth is, no one knows you better. For example, mothers are an exception to this rule. As much as people claim to 'ride or die' for certain individuals; we all have our own lives to lead. People are the only person that knows themselves and how to make themselves happy other people don't know how people are feeling on the inside and how their life is going, nobody knows you better than yourself.

The Reciprocity of Helping: A Harsh Reality

Second of all, people don't always return favors, people you have helped in the past will not always be willing to return the favor when needed. This was a hard pill to swallow because of the way I was raised. The golden rule is big in my life, and I thought if I treated people right I would automatically get that in return. Well, I learned the hard way that even though you may get a blessing it may not always be from those whom you have blessed. I have helped a lot in my life; I did favors for them and not just money I love to help people emotionally and mentally. For example, one day my best friend was really sad because she failed a math test, she was worried that she was going to fail that class. I have passed the math test, so I told her that I was going to tutor her and help her until she got the material from the test. My best friend studied and studied until her brain felt as if it was going to explode because of so much information. After days and days studying, she had her retest and when she finished she was so happy. What I thought that was bad was that she didn't even thank me, the only thing she said is that she passed the test without help, she was so mean. People get treated in life the way people teach others to treat them, the way people allow them to treat them. By constantly saying 'yes' to other people when deep down inside people actually mean to say 'no', and by constantly putting their own needs and desires aside just so people can fulfill the needs and desires of those around them. People are sending a wrong message to themselves and to everyone around them. Through your approval-seeking behavior, you tell yourself and the whole world that who you are in not enough and that you need other people's approval in order for you to feel whole, loved and validated.

The Power of Self-Care

Finally, putting your needs first can improve your self-esteem. It can improve your self-esteem because you will be happier for the choices you make for yourself, If people keep helping people and never focus on themselves they will not be happy and their self-esteem will decrease. With this happening people's self-esteem will lower, they will have emotional issues, for example, Depression/sadness, anxiety, and many more. To put yourself first is to ensure that you are looking after your mental and physical wellbeing. We can't change something if we don't recognize that there is something to change. By simply becoming aware of our negative self-talk, we begin to distance ourselves from the feelings it brings up. This enables us to identify with them less. Without this awareness, we can easily fall into the trap of believing our self-limiting talk, and as meditation teacher Allan Lokos says, 'Don't believe everything you think. Thoughts are just that - thoughts.' .The important truth is that if people fail to take care of themselves, both physically and mentally, people may find themselves facing an insurmountable setback. Energy, enthusiasm, and motivation are not bottomless wells. People need to understand that it is not being selfish it is caring for yourself, have people never heard the term ' you are not required to set yourself on fire to keep yourself warm. Sacrifice is you setting yourself on fire, to keep others warm. This means you are burning alive, while others are kept protected from whatever thing could harm them. It is pretty insane if you think about it. It is more insane when you realize how much you have done it.

However, some people say that you should be putting the needs of others before your own. These people say that you should be putting people's needs first because compassion helps people become less focused on themselves and more focused on trying to help others. People say that if you don't put the needs of others first then you are being a selfish and a bad person. They are wrong because caring for yourself is very important because if you don't care for yourself then you are not going to feel happy, and if your not happy then how are you going to make other people happy. Putting yourself first means being as kind to yourself as you are to others. People shouldn't feel selfish for not thinking about other people first because they should realize that they are making themselves happy. It means taking care of themselves so they can be more productive and a better person. It means loving themselves just a tiny bit more than they love others. People are not being selfish and uncaring for others like the other people say they are just trying to make themselves happy so then they can help other people. For people to be happy they need to be positive, patient with everyone and always be smiling.

Conclusion

In conclusion, people should care more about themselves than others for the following reasons: one, no one will look out for you than yourself; two, people don't always return favors; three, people putting their needs first can improve their self-esteem so they don't feel depressed. People need to build a society so everyone is happy about themselves and not to always be trying to help everyone. I understand that some people love to help others but they also have to realize that they are the most important thing in their lives. Otherwise, people should care for themselves first because then nobody is ever going to be happy about themselves and others.    

Works Cited

1. Lokos, A. (2012). Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living. Penguin.
2. Rosenberg, M. B. (2003). Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life. PuddleDancer Press.
3. Stosny, S. (2010). Empathy and Self-Compassion. Psychology Today