The time and energy you give to others should also be invested on yourself.
I may sound like a broken record, but I think it is important to note how this whole pandemic situation changes our lives. A lot more of us are staying home (except for the strong men and women supporting society ie. doctors, nurses, grocers, pharmacists, etc. - thank goodness for them!) and because of that, we could start to feel sluggish.
We might find ourselves feeling unmotivated and it's so easy to just lay back and binge-watch Netflix if you are off from work. Maybe some of us are forced to work from home, since our offices are closed.
However, although relaxing is a form of self-care, nothing is good in excess.
I have found myself feeling super unmotivated and lazy. My offices have been closed for a total of 3 days, and I already feel myself not wanting to exercise or even move.
But I made a realization yesterday; I must do some act of self-care everyday.
I was reading an article by Kristine Klussman recently called The "Why" To Creating A Sustainable Self-Care Routine and a quote in particular stuck out to me:
"By honoring yourself with a series of small acts every day, you send powerful messages that you do matter, that your needs are significant, and that you are worth the time and attention needed to take good care of yourself."
Now that I no longer have to go into work everyday, I need to put aside time for myself to feel like I am progressing, or at least doing something that makes me happy. That could mean reading a book, writing, or exercise.
Yesterday I chose to exercise, after not having done so for a week since my gym was closed. I was unmotivated at first, but the movement (strength training and tabata) quickly snapped me out of it and I felt great afterwards.
Self-care looks different for everyone. With so much extra time on our hands, we can work towards completing projects we might not have had time to do during our normal day-to-day lives. Maybe you can even start your own blog or your own business. This all depends on what drives you and how you want your life to look.
I think it is also important to note that self-care is not only important during tough times like these, but everyday as well.
Self-care is not optional. If you do not take care of yourself, or live a life that is not in line with what YOU want to do, your body will eventually cry out. You are the only one who can help yourself, so take care of yourself before taking care of others. It will make all the difference.