We can feel a constant urge to give everything we have until there is nothing left. Your bosses at work expect more and more from you the better you do. There is this societal pressure to find a second source of income whether that be a side-hustle or owning your own business. Friends take turns on who needs a shoulder of support. The family will need more emotional support from you the older you get since you now “understand” adult troubles. We are constantly finding some way to give to others, but are you making sure you save some of that compassion, patience, and support for yourself?  

My message to you is simple and encouraging: Save some for yourself. You give to others regardless of what you are going through and how you may feel. The only potential problem is that you may be giving so much that your own tank is running on E. A car won’t do you much good if you can’t drive yourself home because there is no gas left in the tank.  

Truth be told, how many people go out of their way to check on you, the same way you check on them? Sometimes our efforts toward others are not always appreciated or reciprocated. This is not meant to make you angry towards others or to make you re-evaluate the relationships you have. This is meant to make you re-evaluate how you prioritize yourself.  

A good way to make sure your emotional tank isn’t running on “E”, is to make sure you give to the right people. Make sure that the people you are going out of your way to support, would do the same thing for you. If the answer is no, then that doesn’t mean don’t support that person. It may just mean you don’t need to give them the last bit of food off your plate.  

Find ways to prioritize yourself. That does not mean becoming a self-absorbed and selfish person. It means finding time to put yourself first and set up healthy boundaries so that you have some emotional “gas in the tank” left for when you fall on hard times and need to dig a little deeper to get through the day. 

-S|20

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