THE CONSEQUENCES OF PUTTING YOURSELF FIRST
While I was preparing my breakfast, I had an important realization…
By putting myself and my well-being first, I’m also helping the planet!
This thought occurred to me while I was looking at my jars of seeds and tupperware of flour in the pantry. I observed how eco-friendly I had become and I asked myself: “how did I get here?”. “How come I’ve become so conscious about waste and food packaging?”
I’ve never been overly concerned about that before, although I know that plastic and pollution are a big issue, I wasn’t really worrying too much about it.
My main concern over the last few years has been putting myself first, saying no to things and people when I felt that something wasn’t right for me, looking after my health and my well-being, because I’m the most important person in my life. I’m my ‘number one’. I only have one body and one life on this earth.
“I need to take care of myself”. This has been my number one priority lately, and the pandemic made me even more aware of this. It’s my duty to respect my body and to look after myself. I can’t expect other people to do that for me. I need to be responsible for myself, for my choices, for my actions and for my entire well-being.
And so I went into a journey of deep self-love and self-acceptance. I felt the urge to look at what I was putting into my body and to carefully read the food labels in the supermarkets. If I saw ingredients listed that I couldn’t understand, I’d put that item back down.
“I’m not putting that rubbish into my body!”. I applied this principle to all food items, from everyday staples to fish and dairy products. I looked at the ingredients and at the fat content. How much “red” is on the label. If the label is mostly “green”, then it’s a green light for me. If there’s a lot of red, it’s a no go for me, and that item stays on the shelf where it belongs.
I felt called to stop eating high fat food like cheddar cheese, bacon and highly processed sauces like mayonnaise or ketchup. I cut out all the junk food. And if I felt like having something sweet, I’d either go to a bakery and just buy one piece of a lovely home-made cake or I’d bake cakes myself.
I now bake cakes with less sugar, or I’d use agave syrup. I’m very much into oat flour at the moment and I eat whole grain in general. I started eating seeds and dried fruit for breakfast with my lactose free yogurt. And for this reason I began to shop at a Whole Foods store, where I can just buy the amount of food I need for myself. It’s also healthier and cheaper than the supermarkets, I thought. And, as most of the food there is loose, then I ended up using paper bags and my own containers to store the stuff I buy.
This is why I had this epiphany in the morning over breakfast. I looked at my cupboard and I realized…
Now I’m also using less plastic than before!
So by putting myself first and eating healthily, I also look after the planet. I’m kinder to the environment and to the animals as a consequence.
This is another confirmation that putting yourself first is not selfish, it’s an act of love.
By loving yourself, you’re better able to love the people around you and the whole planet as a result, because you make healthier choices not just for yourself but for the whole world!
Now if anyone criticizes you for doing what’s best for you, just remember that by doing what feels right to you, other people will benefit from it too.
You will be a happier and healthier version of yourself, more caring, more relaxed, and so you will be more conscious about the fact that your choices have not just an impact on yourself, but on everyone and everything around you.
It’s like an avalanche of positive effects, it will ripple out from you. What selfishness is that?
So, how are you looking after yourself?
What are your priorities in life?
If you are not sure what’s really important to you, then I can help you to look into your values and beliefs system.