Taking care of yourself necessary, not selfish
- Kyle Snyder: Live on Purpose
- November 11, 2023
- 747
“Take care of your body; it’s the only place you have to live.”
—Jim Rohn
I saw a phrase over the doorway of someone’s office that said something along the lines of “I need to be enough for me; the rest of the world has to wait.” At first, that can look very self-centered, but the more I think about it, the truer it seems. I say that because if I didn’t take care of myself, then how am I going to take care of others? The Bible tells us that if we see our fellow brother fall into sin, help them out, but it also warns us to be careful not to fall into sin ourselves.
To me that can fall under self-care, making sure I don’t open myself up to something that can do harm to me. It is like if we overcome drinking, it would not be wise to meet someone at a bar to try to help them overcome drinking. We can get so carried away with helping others that we forget to take care of ourselves. I must say I had to learn this the hard way. I love helping, but one day I got very sick. When Stacey and I looked back on where I might have pick it up, we discovered I wasn’t taking care of myself. I was taking care of other people so much that I made myself sick.
We can make ourselves no good for other people. We will not be any good at volunteering for an event if not getting enough sleep the night before. What good will it be if we walk around like a zombie? A lack of sleep can mess with our minds, and if we forget everything, then who are we helping?
Many people underestimate how important a good night’s sleep is. When we sleep, our body repairs itself. It makes new cells and more. I am not a doctor, so I don’t know all the ins and outs. Just like someone who is trying to build muscle works out every other day in order to let the muscles rest, so it is for us. We need to rest after an active day.
It is very important to take pride in our work, but in order to take the most pride in our work, we need to take time off — at least one day off a week, I recommend. Taking time off keeps things fresh and renews our strength.
Some of the best business people take time off to think about their next move. Bill Gates takes a think week wherein he reads and thinks. I get some of my best ideas on vacation. There is something about being on vacation that allows the mind to be renewed. Elan Musk once said he never made a decision at a low moment. When we are rested, then we can think clearly. The secret of how some people never seem to make the wrong move is they don’t advertise their mistakes, and they don’t make decisions on the fly.
I could sit and write every single day, but most of it would not be worth reading. When I pull back where I can think and pray, then I feel like I can really contribute to my readers. Family and friends are important, and it is great for our self-care — having fun, playing games, telling stories, siting by a fire and just investing in each other. Just get your mind off of important things and onto having some fun. How do you take care of yourself?