
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">These days it&#8217;s pretty typical for me to constantly evaluate my needs. Sounds selfish, doesn’t it? I too thought this was a selfish way to live. For as long as I can recall I&#8217;ve spent my life detached from my body and its needs and allowed rhetoric to guide my choices. I suppose it is natural to understand social conformity and how to behave in society, but it is also vital to know yourself and act accordingly.</p>


<a class="wp-block-read-more has-text-color has-primary-color" href="https://thesoulwhispersblog.com/2023/07/17/knowing-your-needs/" target="_blank">Read more<span class="screen-reader-text">: Knowing Your Needs</span></a>


<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Despite evaluating my needs and doing my best to advocate for them, I have recently experienced exhaustion (an all too familiar feeling). I can best describe it as emotional and physical burnout &#8211; you have given the best of yourself without adequate refuel. The words of past blogs came to memory: <em>“When I put myself last I suffered a great loss.” </em> When I wrote those words I was entirely detached from knowing my needs and how to take care of them. In those days my mind was set to survival mode, and when you’re in a state of survival you ignore your baseline needs. That is until your body demands they be met. At that point, <em>“I was forced out of the race and sidelined.” </em>This was when I finally realized that I desperately required repair. ;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Reading posts I wrote during this difficult time in my life was cathartic. I read them because they captured my current experience of exhaustion. I read them because <em>“I now understand that my well-being is costly to replace…” </em>I read them to reassure myself that it is <em>“okay to pay attention to my own needs.”</em> I read them as if I were the physician prescribing care for myself.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As I assessed my needs I found that my tank was empty. I knew it wasn&#8217;t going to be a quick trip to the gas station (though I wish it was). I understood it was more of a repair job that required more time. I recognized that I needed rest. So I cancelled my plans and went to bed early. I awoke and then fell back asleep. I lamented the times I put myself last and vowed never to do it again. I let the silence grow until the voice within could be heard. I focused on what I needed to do, hoping to gain more strength. And within time and conscious effort, I regained ;my health.</p>



<div class="wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-f5f78b3b wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex">
<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link has-text-align-center wp-element-button" href="https://thesoulwhispersblog.com/2018/05/15/i-failed-to-listen/">Failed to Listen</a></div>



<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link has-text-align-right wp-element-button" href="https://thesoulwhispersblog.com/2018/04/26/cashed-in/">Cashed In</a></div>
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Knowing Your Needs
