Focusing on yourself can appear to be extremely selfish if you aren't aware of its benefits for your mental health! Though touted by some as an excellent notion, still, by others is condemned as dangerous and self-centered. In my 15 year battle for the healthiest version of myself, mentally, physically, and emotionally, I have found that focusing on myself in certain areas creates the healthiest version of me for those I love.

These are the Top 5 mental health benefits of focusing on yourself everyone needs to know about!

For many years I saw focusing on yourself and overall growth as something only people who had a lot of time could do. Self-improvement was a gift of luxury to those blessed with the finances and time to do so. I saw it as pedicures, shopping sprees, botox, cosmetic surgery, physical trainers, and treating yourself to fifty-dollar lip-liner. Thankfully, time and exposure released me from such limited thinking! I can now see the overall simplicity of self-care and the mental health benefits of it!

When becoming a mom, the idea of focusing on yourself seems like the most selfish concept. "How dare I take care of myself! How could I ever even think such a thing!?" I'd often think to myself! If you're anything like me, you may have had the same thoughts! But here's what I've learned, if you take care of yourself and your mental health, you are better equipped to take care of others and more capable of accomplishing your dreams.

These are the top 5 mental health of focusing on yourself that will change your life!

Benefits of Focusing on Yourself

FOCUSING ON YOURSELF Helps you become a better person in your relationships!

As a wife and mother, I have discovered that focusing on yourself can carry benefits far beyond just yourself. When I focus on myself and my mental health, I am more patient and kind to those around me. I have much more to offer than I do when I spend countless hours and endless energy on others.

This became especially apparent in 2020 during the global pandemic, and homeschooling entered the picture. I quickly learned that the more I focused on others and left very little time and energy for myself, the more my mental health suffered. As you may already know, when your mental health suffers, so goes other areas of life!

I've found that if I take bits of time and focus on myself, it improves the quality of person I am to those I love—more patient and loving toward my spouse and kids.

Here's Some articles on the importance of focusing on yourself and how it benefits your relationships!

9 essential self-care tips for busy moms

Putting Your Family First Doesn't Make You a Better Mom

HOW SELF-CARE CAN TURN A GOOD MARRIAGE INTO A GREAT ONE

Why self-care is important to your marriage

FOCUSING ON YOUR PHYSICAL HEALTH GIVES YOU A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE!

You may be wondering why I would put focusing on yourself in the area of physical health in an article about mental health benefits. Well, the truth is, when I started focusing on my physical health - I saw the most significant mental health benefits than that of any other area in my life! I saw breakthrough in my overall mental wellness that I wouldn't have imagined! This isn't just my testimony, but the testimony of many who have started a weight loss or health journey.

To avoid being wordy, I'll link two articles I've written about my weight loss and health journey so that you can read about the benefits for yourself!

Since cutting out sugar and focusing on my health, I have found that my quality of life has dramatically improved. I have more focus and more mental clarity than ever before. I have regained the ability to dream and accomplish goals! I feel better, mentally and physically, at 33 than I ever did at 20, before I had kids!

Focusing on yourself in the area of physical health can bring about a life-changing experience in your mental wellness.

Other Related Articles on Goodbye Anxious!

FOCUSING ON LOVING YOURSELF GIVES YOU THE ABILITY TO LOVE OTHERS DEEPLY!

The mental health benefits of self-love are obvious, happiness, confidence in yourself and your calling in life, and the depletion of fearing man's opinions of you.

If there's one thing I'm sure of in this life, it's that if someone harbors self-hatred in any area, they will be unhappy with everyone else to some degree as well! If you constantly feel like you aren't good enough, then everything anyone else does will always be lacking in some regard. Focusing on yourself in the area of self-love is necessary because you cannot give what you do not have. How can you expect to love anyone else well if you do not love yourself well?

You can neither provide nor receive love healthily if you have no love and appreciation for the person God created you to be. Acknowledging, embracing, and celebrating the unique qualities that God gave you is the only way to truly appreciate the different unique qualities of others.

One of the main reasons the idea of self-love turns people off is them having low self-esteem. Another reason for lacking love for yourself or others is bitterness and unforgiveness. When we remain critical of others, we will continue being critical of ourselves. I've written articles on both topics of low self-esteem and on forgiving people who've hurt you. Check them out if you feel this is an area you struggle in!

Other Related Articles on Goodbye Anxious!

Other articles about self-love and mental health! 

Why self-love is important and how to cultivate it

5 CRITICAL REASONS SELF LOVE IS NECESSARY FOR HAPPINESS

10 Reasons Why Self-Love Is Important

FOCUSING ON YOURSELF AND PRIORITIZING SELF-CARE KEEPS YOU WELL-RESTED AND REJUVENATED TO MEET LIFE'S CHALLENGES! 

Have you ever been in a situation where you had a deadline of some sort, and you stayed up for hours on end each night to meet that deadline? It felt like you were surviving off of caffeine and a prayer! Did you notice when it was all over, your body crashed? Maybe you even slept for days afterward. You most likely saw a decrease in your overall health during that time. And the sudden dip in your mental health felt like the first drop on a rollercoaster - scary and out of control! 

Rest is 100 percent necessary for our bodies. Studies have shown that the average adult needs 7 hours of sleep at night. At the very least 7 hours, depending on your body, you may need more! Here are a few signs and symptoms of not being well-rested: 

• mood swings
• anxiety
• depression
• memory issues
• reduced attention span
• lack of energy 

All of these symptoms drastically affect a person's mental health. If you are not focusing on yourself and the rest you need, it can be quickly concluded that you will not have the necessary energy for those around you or life's challenges, whether it's the people you love or the work you love! 

Here are a few more articles on sleep and its importance for your mental health! 

Mental Health and Sleep

Effect of Inadequate Sleep on Frequent Mental Distress

How Does Sleep Affect Mental Health?

focusing on yourself helps you accomplish your dreams and inspires others to do the same! 

I remember sitting in a church small-group one fall afternoon years ago when my husband, who was leading the group, asked everyone, "what are you dreaming about?" I sat there floored by his question and pondered in silence. My answer was simple, nothing; I was dreaming about nothing. For several years I had simply been surviving! I wasn't dreaming of years to come. There was no hoping for a different life or thinking about what the next five years would bring - nothing. Absolutely nothing was there as I pondered his request for answers from the group.

This encounter caused self-discovery, and helped me to begin the process of re-evaluating my life. I started to ask myself questions about why I wasn't dreaming, and started facing the fears stopping me from the dreams I had years before. I realized that one of the main issues I was dealing with was a lack of self-focus. 

At some point, when you stop focusing on yourself and the dreams you have, they start to die. Hopefully, like me, you have someone who will ask you a question that completely rocks your world and helps you remember how important dreams are in the first place. Just in case that doesn't happen, let me go ahead and capitalize on the fact that you're reading this and I'll say to you, "What are you dreaming about?"

Let me give you a little more boost; If you're not dreaming, you are dying. You heard me right. You are living to die. Survival isn't progress. Let me hit you with one harder. If you are a parent, you certainly want to see your kids live out their dreams, don't you? Being brave enough to live out the dreams God has put on your heart is the only way to inspire others to do the same.

Plain and simple, the mental health benefit of focusing on yourself and your dreams is the peace of mind knowing you could help inspire others to have the fearlessness to do the same! 

Focusing on yourself can feel self-centered at times, but that couldn't be further from the truth. If you struggle in the area of mental wellness and you feel like you constantly fight a battle to remain stable in your mind, I want to encourage you to try focusing on yourself. Prioritize focusing on self-care, being healthy physically, spiritually, and emotionally, loving yourself, getting the rest you need, and pursuing your crazy wild and outlandish dreams. Prioritize those things because they have mental health benefits and because they increase your ability to love others well!

THIS ARTICLE WAS ALL ABOUT THE TOP 5 LIFE-CHANGING MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF FOCUSING ON YOURSELF! 

Are there areas of your life that you aren't properly focusing on yourself? Do you love yourself well so that you can love others more deeply? Let me know in the comments below how this helped you!

Saying Goodbye to Anxious With You, 

Kristina G.