Putting yourself first is the only way to navigate through uneasy times, according to the founder of Be Hive of Healing, Doctor Habib Sadeghi. The LA-based doctor to the stars advocates the art of selfless selfishness; a regular practice designed to fulfill your emotional and physical needs by taking time for yourself. An essential exercise during times of heightened stress, anxiety and depression, Dr. Sadeghi believes that selfless selfishness is one of the greatest gifts you could ever give to those you love, including yourself. Here, the celebrity doctor talks us through the steps and details how you can adopt the practice in your own routine.
Similarly, a longevity study from National Geographic found people who have a clear sense of purpose an articulate it live on average seven years longer than those who don’t. Work gives us drive, a reason to get up in the morning, and a way of contributing to the world. It fulfills every person’s basic requirement to be needed in some way. Depression is more common among the unemployed at any given time, so it’s not surprising that more people would experience these feelings when they become idle, and have lost that sense of independence and purpose.
How can being selfish be a selfless act? It’s because you can’t give love and positivity to anyone until you’re overflowing with it yourself. You can’t give what you don’t have, and you can only make the people around you feel as good as you’re feeling in any moment. So when you’ve taken time to reinforce your sense of purpose and joy, you carry that positive energy into all your relationships and become a better wife, mother, daughter, volunteer, co-worker, boss, or whatever roles you fill in life. This is why taking time for yourself is one of the greatest gifts you could ever give to those you love.
Try to offer time to the practice at least twice a week, ideally on the same days and time so that it becomes part of your routine. Get into a dance or yoga class, join a book club, take piano or singing lessons, take a creative writing workshop, or start working out. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as it’s something you enjoy where the focus is solely on you outside of your role as a wife, colleague, mother, or something else. This is why I don’t necessarily advocate volunteering for selfless selfishness because as noble as it is, women give constantly to others, and this time is all about giving back to yourself so you can be more generous with your love later on.
