Why doesn't taking care of myself come naturally to me?

I don't think it comes naturally to many people on Earth. Myself included. It requires effort to take care of oneself. Nothing is ever easy. Effort is one of the toughest things to battle as it comes from within. Our self-determination is what will allow us to take care of ourselves. We are not robots therefore we must take measures of our own free will to ensure we look after ourselves. On that basis, I think I am in the position to state that nobody takes care of themselves through natural means, e.g. they aren't born with a desire to immediately take care of themselves. Some people have died because of not taking care of themselves which proves that it doesn't come naturally to anyone in existence.

Taking care of yourself is a skill! Just like riding a bicycle or playing an instrument. It takes practice to take care of yourself: to get enough sleep, learn what to eat to fuel your body, and how to reach out and ask for help. Some days, just getting out of bed or taking a shower have been huge self-care wins for me! Remember: these skills don't happen overnight, and baby steps are the key to success. Congratulations for coming here to 7 Cups! It may not seem like it, but this is a huge win and we are proud of you!

I think taking care of oneself is something that doesn't come naturally to other people as well for a variety of reasons. It personally doesn't come naturally to me for reasons I don't exactly know but after doing some self reflection, I realized its because I just view it as so much of a hassle and constantly overestimate how difficult it will be. My favorite quote is : "If anything is worth doing, it's worth doing badly" meaning that brushing your teeth for 15 seconds is better than not doing it at all. This quote has helped immensely. Additionally, creating a routine and building in self care into a scheduled routine can be very effective as well. I hope this helps!

It depends on what you are referring to as self-care. self-care comes as eating well, drinking enough water, showering, getting outdoors ....etc. It can also mean seeing friends, meditating, deep breathing, reading a positive book. When we feel low in mood doing these things can be more difficult and at these times we should focus on the more "basic" ones like eating, drinking water and moving. Self-care is individual to everyone and it can be how to think about it too that is important. I bet if you think about it there are lots of things that you do that are considered self care!

The issue is that this type of self-care demands a significant amount of energy. This is a huge undertaking. It calls for a very particular procedure with a very clear outcome: create a serene atmosphere, descend into presence and reflection, and emerge refreshed and full of self-love. In many respects, we will never be free of this all-or-nothing mindset. As a result, it's tempting to believe that the polar opposite of selfless is selfish, that in order to care for others, we must compromise our own needs. We aren't seeing the big picture when self-care feels selfish. Taking care of our physical and mental health improves our ability to help others.

Sometime when you are growing up the grownups in your life didn’t teach you how to care for yourself well. That could be because they were not taught as well. And so on. Research and practice is a great way to be on the path to a better you. Google can come up with great articles on the matter. You can be better than what you grew up with. You just gotta put in the time and effort. Not all things good come easy and you gotta work for them. A listener can direct you to self help articles as well.

I can listen and talk to you about your issues but I don't know you well enough to say for sure why but this is a symptom of depression this is not me diagnosing you with this it is me stating that it is a symptom I think the best possible thing you can do is talk to someone such as a therapist which can give you a better answer than I can there are therapist on 7 cups or you can use resources on here to find a therapist close to you if you do not think that is is an option may talk to a friend or look at some coping strategies on 7 cups

For every child the way they perceive their surroundings differ. The environments could be same but due to differences in way of perceiving the personality differs from one individual to other. So these early impacts nurture the way we develop as individuals. So naturally some will be too self centered, some will be moderate some may lack self care. If you consider yourself as third category. Then it's better if you can take care of your mandatory things before life teaches you through harsh lessons. Coz self care is necessary for any humans. It could be drawing proper pyschological boundaries, not working too much, not neglecting the physical and mental burdens. It's a bit tricky. Coz usually people who lack self care when they hit by harsh scenarios they completely become too self centered. Which again is other end of the extremes. Rather balance things. You need not to be too self centered , you need not to be too self ignorant either. Any change requires consistent, commited daily work. Be patient enough to see results.

Sometimes its much easier to care for others than it is to care for yourself. For some learning to care for yourself dosent come naturally it takes time and practice but it can be learnt. It is so important for your health and wellbeing. Know that you are worth care too. Take breaks. Rest well. Do things that you like. Try relaxation. Calming sounds. Meditation. A face mask. Having your hair done. A makeup session. Anything to make you feel good. Anything that is just for you. Set aside some time for you for you time. It is neccessary .

I understand how it may be difficult to prioritize yourself over others in your life. Personally, I struggled with the same issue because I always wanted to put other people's needs before my own. I believe that for some people taking care of themselves comes more naturally because of how they were raised, and what kind of influences they were around during their development. Many people struggle with taking care of themselves, so you are not alone. Being aware of the issue is very strong of you to understand. Now hopefully you can try to start taking care of yourself more because of your awareness, and with time it may come more naturally to you.