It’s truly rare and remarkable to be someone who genuinely cares about the well-being of others. We live in a world where trickery and manipulation are most valued traits, while honesty and vulnerability are considered flaws, the ultimate signs of weakness.
However, even though this world desperately needs more and more empathic people like yourself, there’s a fine line between being the kindest person in the world and sacrificing yourself more than you should.
You have to know your limits, otherwise, you’ll end up overwhelmed and completely lost.
It may sound selfish, but self-care is something we should always put on top of our priority list. Even if it sometimes requires cutting people off and isolating your soul.
No one will ever care about you if you don’t do it. So, here are 12 red flags that you are giving way more than you should and you should stop sacrificing yourself for others:
1. YOU ARE TOO TIRED TO FUNCTION
You’ve started feeling overwhelmed and at the same time extremely exhausted. At this point, you no longer remember what day it is. You are constantly running and running around a circle, pleasing people, wasting the very last bits of your energy.
Stop doing that to yourself.
2. HELPING OTHERS MAKES YOU FORGET ABOUT YOURSELF
You’ve started sacrificing yourself for others so much that you reached a new dangerous level in your life. The things on the top of your priority list that you once enjoyed doing are now gone. Your mind isn’t functioning well, and you keep forgetting your needs.
Or maybe you just chose to forget about yourself? Either way, you are in a very bad place right now. Start doing something about it.
3. YOU ARE HELPING OTHERS DO SOMETHING THEY SHOULDN’T
You are literally helping them get into trouble. If you notice that you are a part of a sham or something that can have dangerous and severe consequences on your life, get the hell away from it.
4.WHAT STARTED AS A “ONE-TIME” TURNED INTO AN EVERYDAY CHORE
Be careful of manipulative and wicked individuals. They’ll lure you inside their world of trickery without you even knowing. It will start as the usual “one-time” thing, and it will slowly transform into a detrimental habit that is draining you of your energy.
5. YOU FEEL THAT YOUR RELATIONSHIP IS HOLDING YOU BACK
You realize that you’ve allowed people to depend on you way too much. You’ve put yourself out there and gave yourself completely. All you got in return was your soul imprisoned in a cell that you’ve created for yourself.
6. YOU ARE AVOIDING ALL THE CONSEQUENCES FROM HELPING OTHERS
It all started innocently. You love helping people and being there for them when there’s no one else around. But, once generosity and kindness towards others start influencing your wellbeing to a point where you begin sacrificing your health for others, that’s when you need to stop.
7. THE PEOPLE YOU ARE HELPING WON’T DO THE SAME FOR YOU
This is something that you just know. When the person you’re helping can’t bother to put himself out there and help you, you know they’re no longer worthy of giving a damn.
Leave it all behind and start taking care of yourself.
8. YOU ARE CONSTANTLY HELPING PEOPLE WHO KEEP GETTING THEMSELVES INTO TROUBLE
If you notice that the same person who constantly asks for help keeps getting himself into trouble, there’s no need for you to continue with your rescue missions. It’s clear that this person is in some kind of a masochistic cycle. Let them be.
9. YOU ARE STARTING TO FEEL MANIPULATED
If you feel like someone is taking advantage of your kindness and good will, then it is probably true. Our gut feeling never lies. Don’t let others determine your life path. Cut everything off and start living your life.
10. YOU START TO SABOTAGE YOUR OTHER RELATIONSHIPS
And if you are sacrificing yourself to the point where you start sabotaging your other relationships and your family, you should definitely stop. You shouldn’t allow people to influence your life in such dangerous ways.
11. YOU HAVE NO TIME NOR ENERGY TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
Giving far too much to people will not only leave you overwhelmed, but it will also waste all of your energy and make you incapable of taking care of yourself. Self-care should be an essential part of your daily routine.
12. YOU FEEL COMPLETELY FATIGUED AND EXHAUSTED
If you feel useless and drained every single day of your life, there has to be something that keeps draining your energy. You shouldn’t ignore this feeling. Being generous and kind is fine, but when you feel that someone is taking advantage of it, you should put a stop to it.
Learn to take care of yourself before anything else.
