Copyright © 2023 Lee Spirit

Do you think it’s selfish to take care of yourself first? You’ve probably heard countless times that we should take care of others before ourselves, and consider the needs of others before our own needs. You may be the type of person who likes to serve others, and care about their welfare ahead of your own. While caring for the welfare of others is noble, good, and altruistic, I would argue that when you take care of yourself first, you are raising your vibration into a higher frequency. The bliss you feel when you take care of yourself first then helps others to vibrate higher too.

I love this quote by Kate Reed: “Self care is giving the world the best of you instead of what’s left of you”. It’s so true that you don’t want to give and give and give until it hurts. If you give yourself what you need first, you come from a vibrant place of joy. You are full to the brim with happiness, love, and care to give. It’s a terrible feeling to feel burnt out from giving. Give yourself the gift of self-care instead.

Why Taking Care of Yourself First Is Difficult Sometimes

To take care of yourself first, you have to drop the idea that it’s a bad thing! There’s no reason to feel guilty or selfish about taking the time you need to care for yourself. Yes, you have a busy, stressful job, and a family that need your attention. Okay, you have to be on social media a lot to pay attention to what’s going on with your friends, family, and world. Just remember that losing yourself in a stressful job, putting everyone else’s needs ahead of your own, and spending too much time on your smart phone can cause burnout and misery!

Why Self-Care Is So Important

No one wants to feel physically, emotionally, and mentally drained. To try and care for others when you’re irritable, exhausted, or stressed out will only lead to you spreading negative vibes to others. You may even get angry, or lash out, and your attempts to help will backfire on you.

When we fail to take care of ourselves first, we can develop some chronic problems, such as stress, fatigue, depression, or overwhelm. Those can also lead to physical symptoms like high blood pressure, and body aches and pains. If we don’t treat out bodies well by eating and drinking healthy foods, getting adequate sleep, and exercising regularly, eventually our bodies wear down. This can lead to diseases we don’t want to deal with.

Click Here To Notice When You Most Need Self-Care

The Power of Getting Into Good Habits

Like most things, it requires a little effort to get into good habits where you start to take care of yourself first. Just like when you start a new diet, exercise, or sleep routine, practice makes perfect! Not only practice, but consistency of effort in achieving your self-care intentions. Don’t you want to feel relaxed, refreshed, rejuvenated, and well nourished?

This can look different for everyone so you have to tune into you and what suits you. What makes you feel relaxed? For me, it’s silent meditation or just quiet time to myself. Sorting through photos I’ve taken in the great outdoors brings me pleasure and relaxation. I feel refreshed and rejuvenated when I spend time in nature, exercise, take a steam, or an epsom salt bath. I drink plenty of water so I stay hydrated and my body, mind, and spirit thank me for it!

Remember that you want to feel well, productive, and purposeful! Get into your state of bliss in whatever way works for you, and then you can share that vibe with others. They will be attracted to your energy, and want to have the same vibe within themselves. Helping yourself is helping others. Just remember the importance of consistent practice in getting into good self-care habits!

Take Care of Yourself First By Tending To Your Soil

The Soil That Is You

I just finished a beautiful meditation series on “tending the soil” that is us. Imagine you are the garden soil in Spring and you’re preparing the seeds and soil so that flowers, fruits, and vegetables will bloom. The first way to do that is by taking care of your physical self. As I’ve mentioned, good sleep, good food and drinks, and plenty of water and exercise will help you blossom into a beautiful flower. Taking a hot or cold shower, and soaking in the sun for a few minutes per day can do wonders for your body, mind, and spirit. Exercising, especially in nature, will prep your body for all the care you will give to others.

Speaking of that, my photo for the blog post is at the Ink Pots in Banff National Park. I chose this one, in case you were curious, because the Ink Pots remind me of natural hot springs. These are not hot springs, but they do bubble up from the earth, and remain a temperature of 4C year round. Being out in the mountains like this with beautiful scenery and bodies of water is very healing in so many ways.

Take Care of Yourself First By Tending To Your Mental Soil

What goes on in your mind, and how does that affect your mental state? Pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Are they giving you clues that you need to slow down, rest, and take better care of yourself? Having a healthy mindset can do wonders for your ability to care for others in the best ways possible.

Some ways you can help your mental health are by learning new things, like figuring out how to build and maintain a website, learning a new language, or using sound healing modalities to balance your brain waves.

You may choose to read uplifting books that raise your vibration and make you feel warm and fuzzy all over. Maybe you write, cook, or do a puzzle instead of following social media so closely. You can work on turning negative thoughts into positive intentions and affirmations.

How Are You Feeling Emotionally?

Pay attention to your feelings, not only in body and mind, but also spirit. Are you happy or sad most of the time? Are you feeling positive or negative? Do you love yourself or criticize and judge yourself?

Be sure to protect your energy by getting into a regular self-care practice of setting healthy boundaries, and replacing negative thoughts with positive, healthier intentions. Start to feel good and proud about who you really are. Write down your feelings, and cry if you need to cry. We can’t get past negative emotions unless we let it out, and let it pass through us. Relief is on the other side. When we feel better about ourselves, we can better serve others from a place of positivity. It’s important to recognize when you can’t seem to get out of a rut, so make sure you seek the help of a good friend, family member, or professional when you need it.

Time For a Change of Scenery?

Sometimes we don’t think of self-care in terms of change of scenery. I am both comfortable right where I am, and also crave a good change of scenery at times. Every once in a while, I need to move my furniture around, declutter my closets, give some clothes and shoes away, and head out on a new hiking trail I’ve never hiked before. Travelling to a new place I’ve never been before also is a great way to take care of the self.

That’s because when we feel good in our environments, or places where we feel free, we feel good about ourselves. Whether you prefer your home to be quiet, or full of music is your choice. I know I like my peace and quiet, and my space is my sanctuary. When your environment feels good, so do you. So make it a place that makes you feel groovy, comfortable, and free.

Take Care of Yourself First By Shifting Your Relationship To Money

If you’re always stressed about your finances, you’ve got to take care of yourself first by setting up a plan to get out of debt, or save towards that trip of a lifetime that you dream of. Talk to a professional about how you can better save for your future or manage your money. Go to that retirement webinar that you don’t feel like going to if it will help you see retirement in a different way. Read a book on how money is energy, and the more you give, the more you receive. Your money/energy tree will grow if you water it appropriately.

Build Your Connections With Others

Connecting with others is so important to your well-being. I’ve learned that over the more than two years of pandemic isolation. Thankfully I’ve started to reconnect with old friends, while building some new friendships. I have to say, it takes time, energy, and consistent effort, but it’s worth it when you land with the people who are right for you. That often means people who share common values, interests, and activities.

One thing I’ve learned is that you have to show up for others. You can’t flake out every time you get an invitation. Don’t say yes to something and then change your mind last minute and bail. They have no chance to make other plans with other people then. Reach out to people with genuine care, make sure friends are okay, share food and drinks and fun activities that you all enjoy. Friends come and go in this life, so always make new connections. Make it a priority! When you feel socially connected, you can be your best self for others.

Take Care of Yourself First By Finding Your Hobbies

What do you enjoy doing the most in your spare, non-working time? My favourite thing is taking a road trip in my “spirit on wheels” to the mountains, or a destination I’ve never been before. I love to spend a good 10 days hiking and exploring on foot! Usually when I go somewhere, it’s not that relaxed. It’s more like hiking and site-seeing as much as I can in the short time I have, and then the relaxation happens in my time off after that!

I also like to read spiritually uplifting books, and practice yoga and meditation. I’ve been doing a lot of meditation lately and finding I have less tolerance for computer screens and scrolling. That’s a very healthy sign, so I intend to spend more time doing silent and guided meditations!

Maybe for you it’s gardening, knitting, scrap-booking, you name it. Get involved in whatever lights you up and raise that vibe!

Speaking of Yoga and Meditation…

Spiritually, you want to find what lights up your soul, and brings you peace and calm in a crazy world. Some of the things I’ve been practising regularly are different types of yoga – hot, yin, kundalini, vinyasa flow yoga. Also different types of meditation – sound healing, silent meditation, sankalpa, nidra, ISHTA, and meditation in nature. Whatever speaks to your soul and brings you calmness and clarity around your purpose is what is healthy for you, and will help you support others.

I hope this gives you many new ideas on how to take care of yourself first, without feeling guilty about it. I like this quote too, by L. R. Knost: “Self care does not mean ‘Me first’, it means ‘Me too'”. Your life begins now, and you are worth it, so get out there and take care of yourself first!

Lee Spirit is an avid outdoors adventurer with a love for nature, photography, health & fitness, wellness, and spirituality. She helps those who suffer from anxiety & negative thinking to become healthier in mind-body-spirit. Her own personal journey has led her to the  study and practice of mindfulness, health, wellness, yoga, spirituality, sound healing, meditation, and personal development for over 20 years. Get mindfulness, meditation, and personal development tips in her Free Natural Mind Healing Report.