We all have wants and needs. We might want another slice of cake, but we need to lose weight. We might want to skip work, but we need today’s pay. We might want to binge-watch Netflix, but we need a good night’s sleep.
One of the simplest switches in mindset that I’ve made is to start attending to my needs more than my wants. Desire is fickle. Desire isn’t the same as happiness. We might want something but not necessarily need it. We might want something but need the opposite.
Fulfilling your needs is about taking care of yourself. It’s about doing the right thing for you.
It’s also about acknowledging that, sometimes, it’s okay to be selfish. It’s okay to put your own needs before the wants and the demands of others. Your colleagues might want you to cover their shifts, but you might need to take a day off to rest. And that’s okay.
As David Samson put it,
‘Selfishness is putting the wants of yourself over the needs of others. Self-respect is putting your needs over the wants of others.’
Putting your needs first isn’t selfish. Putting your needs above the wants of yourself and others is essential to avoiding burnout, over-exhaustion and staying happy.
Self-Care Saturday: It’s important to work hard, but it’s also important to look after ourselves. When we’re busy, our mental and physical health are usually the first things to fall to the bottom of our priority pile. For that reason, Self-Care Saturday is all about taking the time out indulge in a little self-love - about discovering new ways to take care of ourselves, even if that means we have to take a day off.
Photo by Alisa Anton on Unsplash