Balanced Life: When “Being of Service” Becomes Self-Neglect

Without a doubt, it is a beautiful and noble thing to ”be of service” to others. Typically, it is the people among us who are of service to others who also help make the world a better place!

We often admire those who act selflessly and put the needs of others before their own, but it is also important to remember that in all things we must find balance. There has to be a certain degree of give-and-take.

The thing about ”being of service” and ”selflessness” is that it can also go a little bit overboard sometimes, and can even become an obsession for some people. But there comes a point when you have to consider whether all your efforts to make a difference in other people's lives are actually standing in the way of you making a difference in your own life.

We tend to laugh at the joke about the car mechanic whose own car is a wreck, or the house cleaner whose home is a dirty mess… But that's not always a joking matter...

Sometimes we also have to ask ourselves if our exceptional willingness to help others when they have troubles is actually an avoidance technique that allows us to not take a look at our own troubles. As a counselor, this is a situation I not infrequently encounter in my clients. This type of self-neglect is not healthy!

The important thing to remember here, is that it is not ”selfish” to practice reasonable and balanced self-care! And you have to ask yourself whether you're really capable of effectively making other people's lives better if you don't know how to make your own life better!

So give yourself a break now and then... take a day off from helping the world with its problems; spend the day reading a book... purely for your own benefit!

Thanks for reading and Bright Blessings to all!

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