How can I take care of myself when I feel obligated to take care of my family?

Your family is apart of you. Taking care of yourself, in turn, takes care of your family. Without you, your family would not be as strong.

Think about it this way- if you are empty, what can you give to others? If you are empty, there is nothing to give to others. It's easy to think that our needs should come second, that we don't really matter. That we should muster our strength, and press on. But that thought is faulty in a couple of ways: - Error: That your needs don't matter. Truth: Your needs do matter, because you have value and worth as a person. Your concerns, needs, wants, hopes, dreams have just as much value as other people. - Error: That I can't afford to take care of my needs. Truth: When your needs are met, you will have more to give to other people. You will be more happy, content, and able to pour into other people's needs. So, when you meet your needs, you will have more capacity to take care of your family. By taking care of yourself, you will be taking care of you, AND your family.

If you feel obligated to take care of your family, then you must know that you have to be healthy and well in order to do so. Don't think about taking care of your family as a single obligation devoted solely to your family; remember, you are also a part of your family, and you deserve to be taken care of as well in order to take care of them. It's a circle of taking care of each other. :)

You have to look after the person who is doing the looking after-ing ( and that's you ) if you are tiered and sick - how will you be able to help your family members who may feel sick too? You are just as important ! So take care of your whole family ( including you )

The question is how can you afford not to take care of yourself if you want to take care of others as well? That's why when you fly they tell you to adjust your own oxygen mask before attempting to help someone else adjust theirs. It is imperative that you take care of yourself, even if it's something small like taking a bath or a walk, reading a book or spending a little extra time on yourself while getting ready in the morning so that you don't get burned out and have the energy you need to take care of your loved ones.

Keep in mind that your family needs you to be just as healthy as you like to see them. Treat yourself like part of your family!

In any situation, it's important to remember that if you are not well, then you are not fit to care for anybody else. The most important person in your life is you, and if you are not taking care of yourself, you won't be able to help the people around you.

sometimes you have to take care of yourself so that you are even able to take anyone else. Family is important but you cannot help them if you are falling apart yourself.

You need to understand that you are the most important person in your life, in the end, you are the one that you are mandatory to live with ;) Maybe you can find someone to share the responsibilities of your family with, so you can have a bit more time to yourself.

Taking care of yourself is taking care of your family, because if you are run down and tired all the time you can't really help your family to the full extent of your abilitiex.