Check Yourself: When The Strong Ones Get Tired

It's an amazing skill to have when you are able to be the fixer for the people around you. Life can be really nice when you have someone around to help you out when things get hard. And life does get hard; often times, it's too hard.

Every soul that has the drive to wake up day in and day out to push people in the right direction on top of their own obligations are the exact type of people we need in this world. Mental health has been an epidemic. People aren't okay on the regular. So whenever they can, the fixers put on their capes, swoop in, and do their best to save the day.

But usually when this happens, these unsung heroes are putting their lives on hold to take care of the people around them. More often times than not, they carry the weight of the world on their shoulders without even blinking. It's amazing. To look at someone in the eyes and see how much they care, how sure they are in their ability to navigate through intricate situations, and make due with what they have been given is a privilege just to watch.

But who is checking on our heroes?

Now pay attention, because if you have found yourself to often be the fixer, it's time to take out your pen and paper for some notes.

You need to take care of YOU too. You probably haven't been. Maybe you haven't realized it yet, but you've been putting your own life on hold so you can carry everyone through theirs. You've done such a great service to the people around you, but what happens when you burn out? No strong person who takes on the duty of helping others so selflessly wants to ever just stop and that is understandable. That's why you need to start doing preventative maintenance on yourself.

Don't wait until your life explodes in front of your face. Don't wait until you make a mistake because you forgot something all as a result of your attention being on someone else's world. You have to remember you and make your world just as big as a priority as you have done for everyone else.

Most importantly, you can't be there for everyone. You can't fix things for everyone. You can't heal everyone. You can try and maybe feel like you dang near succeeded, but you also have to remember you.

Self care is so important. If you don't invest in your own physical, mental, and spiritual health too, you can bring yourself down and out and all the sudden, all those people you supported, will need to seek assistance elsewhere. I mean, as long as they are okay, it's fine. But I know you would feel as though you are turning your back on the people you care about.

So please, check yourself. Take a break. Make sure you are doing okay too amongst taking care of all the people around you. Make sure you build yourself up along the way, so you don't break down when you are pushing all the people around you forward.

Plan the spa day you keep forgetting to look into. Plan the stay-cation you've been talking about. Take a day off from work. You deserve this. You've done so much hard work and you've been so strong for your loved ones, so you need some time to reward yourself too!

And don't ever give up or lose hope. The world needs more people like you. The world needs more people who care to lend out a hand to others, without saying a word. You are humble. You are amazing. And you deserve to be taken care of too.

So, if someone has been taking care of you, don't forget to check on them. Don't forget to thank them. Don't forget to make sure they are okay. It's always the strong ones that are so humble and never ask for a thing. Don't back down and don't take no for an answer.

We all need someone. Even the heroes.