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Do you take good care of yourself? Of course you do, or at least you think you do. However, you may not realize that the level of care you give yourself is far sub-optimal, in many cases even being regarded as neglect. Yes, circumstances may force you to spend less time on yourself than you would like, and there are usually dozens of reason why.
However, before you can make a conscious effort to improve the level of care you give to yourself, you need to realize the areas you are deficient in. Self-care may be eluding you if you find yourself doing any of the following things.
You Are Selfless
If you find yourself putting the needs of every single person ahead of your own, you are exhibiting a classic sign of self-neglect. By prioritizing the needs of everybody except your own, you find yourself being burnt out or resenting doing things altogether.
Your Appearance Is Subpar
If you feel guilty for fancying up yourself, again, self-care may be eluding you. You have the right to spend time on yourself, if that means indulging in a bubble bath for an hour, or moisturizing and doing weekly pedicures, it is a necessary part of your overall care.
You Don’t Have Friends
Not having a small circle of closely knit friends is another obvious symptom of poor self-care. Good friends are there not only through the good times, but also the bad and can be an invaluable part of your well-being. Whether this is your choice (or excuse) or something forced upon you by family, it is not healthy and ultimately affects your wellbeing.
You Feel Unfulfilled
You may be grown, have a home and money in the bank, but still have the sinking feeling that you have achieved nothing or not enough in life. This could be the result of personal un-fulfillment, because perhaps you never got the chance to pursue a passion or you maybe you simply do not find your career, or daily cycle of life rewarding.
You Don’t Exercise
This is one of the more serious symptoms of poor self-care, as it directly affects your well-being on an emotional and physical level. Lack of exercise boosts the likelihood of negative health effects developing, reduces quality of life, and harms your appearance.
You Feel Life Is A Chore
The final symptom, that sums up the disdain you have is your lack of joy. Living brings you no real pleasure; you’re just going through the motions of life, without truly finding joy in the day-to-day moments. You don’t stop to appreciate the good around you or experience joy from little things. You only look forward to going to bed. Feeling as if life has no real purpose for you can kick start a cycle of negativity and spiral into depression.
Conclusion
Though self-care should be second nature, many of us have de-trained these instinctual behaviors and replaced them with self-less or “responsible” habits. We are will to take on the responsibility of meeting the needs of others but not our own. This is self-defeating behavior.
It’s time to self-love. You need to be selfish sometimes and to think about yourself, so you can meet your needs and desires. You have a right to live a fulfilling life along with everyone else. Decide to love and care for yourself, it can only serve to make you happier and more content.