Many of us here in this space are helpers, healers and empaths, in some way. We have learned many methods and resources for helping others cope with their own issues.

But what happens when we need to apply those tools to our own lives? Do we understand how to follow our own advice? It’s not always easy to recognize the same issues in ourselves that we can so easily identify in others.

When we are in a crisis of our own, we don’t always have access to the resources that we need from others. We may need to give ourselves relief, at least temporarily. It is an important part of our own personal healing when we learn to use our resources to heal ourselves, knowing that if we do so, we are better equipped to understand how to help others when they need to help themselves as well.

So what if, the next time you’re feeling emotionally distressed, overwhelmed, confused, depressed – whatever it is – you stop and think about how you would treat the situation if you were addressing it in someone else. What would you suggest they do? Then take that advice and use it for yourself. It sounds easy, but in the moment many of us fall back into our own unhealthy patterns and habits rather than creating better pathways.

You learned all these tools for a reason – they work! If you are to truly understand their effectiveness, you must apply them to yourself and your own life first. It seems that often we learn to teach something because we love the way it works for us – but then, once we are in the teacher space, we stop practicing the technique for ourselves. When we do this, we lose our effectiveness and passion as instructors. We lose touch with the purpose behind this work – we forget what it’s like to experience it. It’s best if we can continuously apply these tools to our own lives and remind ourselves what we’re doing here.

Next time you need your own help, pay attention. Pause, breathe, and feel into what would help you most. Then, make that your priority. Follow the advice you would give a student, a client, or even a friend. Love yourself as much as you love those outside yourself. The best way to help others learn to heal is to learn to heal first. You’ve got this. Sending you love.