National Family Caregivers Month

In the service of others, do not become a disservice to yourself.

Introduction

If you’re taking care of others, losing sight of yourself is easy. It’s normal to focus on others when they need help, but if your health and well-being are at stake, it’s important to remember that you can’t care for them effectively if you’re not taking care of yourself first.

1. Don’t Lose Sight of Yourself. When you’re focused on caring for others, it’s easy to overdo it. You may unintentionally blur the lines between your role as a caregiver and your relationships with others in your life.

Don’t lose sight of yourself. When you’re focused on caring for others, it’s easy to overdo it. You may unintentionally blur the lines between your role as a caregiver and your relationships with others in your life.

Take care of yourself before taking care of others

2. Care for Your Body.

One of the best ways to care for your body is to eat healthy food. You can also get a lot out of exercising regularly and making sure you get enough sleep. Taking breaks from work and finding time for yourself are also great ways to help your body feel its best!

Of course, there are some things that don’t really help us all that much when it comes to taking care of our bodies: drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes, for instance. These things can hurt not only our bodies but also our minds and spirits as well!

It’s important to remember that if we want to take care of others then we need to make sure we’re taking care of ourselves first. This means having good habits like eating healthy foods at least two times a day (or four if you’re really hungry!)

3. Keep Your Workload Reasonable.

You’re busy, and you don’t want to take on more than you can handle. It’s okay to say no to requests from others. If someone wants you to do something that isn’t in your job description or is outside of your comfort zone, it’s important not to feel guilty about saying no. This can be especially true at work, where there are certain expectations for how much time you spend working versus how much time you spend on side projects or other activities outside work hours (like taking care of family).

If someone asks for help with a project that takes up too much of your free time—especially if they aren’t paying for it—say no! They don’t own all the hours in the day; even though they may be paying you by the hour, that doesn’t mean they get access to every single minute of those hours. You have a right as an employee (or in any other kind of relationship) not only to set boundaries around what tasks and assignments make sense given their own limits but also to say “no” when those limits are being crossed.”

4. Ask for Help.

It’s so easy to feel like you have to do everything on your own, but this can quickly become overwhelming and cause stress, anxiety and depression. It is okay to ask for help! Perhaps the best way to start is by seeking out a therapist who can guide you through your recovery process and help explain how the brain works in relation to addiction and mental health issues. Once you have found someone who resonates with what you need, they can also provide resources or referral services depending on where in Canada or abroad they are located (in my case it was Toronto). There are also self-help books that may be beneficial on their own or as supplements when working through other therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

A support network is important too; having friends around during difficult times helps keep our minds focused externally instead of internally which can help prevent relapse back into old behaviours/thought patterns from before sobriety began its journey back then.”

5. Set Emotional Boundaries.

Set emotional boundaries. If you want to be at your best, it’s important that you set emotional boundaries. This means setting a time limit on workdays and hours spent working at home, as well as a limit on how much time you spend helping other people. The same goes for friends, family members and acquaintances: make sure they understand what is expected from them by setting clear expectations about how much time they can expect from you each day or week.

Set up daily rituals that help keep things balanced in your life so that when everything gets crazy (and it will), there are still some things in place to remind yourself why this is all worth it. For example: take 15 minutes every night after dinner to do something relaxing like meditation or stretching or read an inspiring book; go for walks every morning before work; have lunch with coworkers outside once per week; write down three things each day where there was something positive about my day or situation – this forces us into gratitude mode which leads to feeling happier overall!

You can’t take care of others if you’re not taking care of yourself first

This is a no-brainer. If you’re not taking care of yourself, how can you possibly take care of others? It’s almost impossible to be an effective parent, partner or friend if you’re not living the best life possible. You can’t pour from an empty cup!

I’m going to share some ideas on how to make sure that you are caring for yourself—and doing it in a way that makes sense for your life and family situation.

Conclusion

Whatever your situation is, remember that you can’t take care of others if you’re not taking care of yourself first! It’s essential to stay healthy and balanced for the long term, both physically and mentally. That way when disaster strikes again, or when your family needs help someday—you won’t be too tired from stress and overwork to handle.