You worked late again because your boss asked you to, went out because your friend who is always in relationship drama was sad, pulled an all-nighter to hit your MBA goal (because the brackets wait for no one), hit the gym out of guilt and then dared Gillooly’s interchange at the crack of dawn to drive your partner to the airport because that’s what good partners do. Now, what’s left for you exactly? A cranky, resentful, exhausted b*atch who’s on the verge of a major breakdown? Yeah, we thought so.
You give what you have
Giving everything we have to other people and saving nothing for ourselves is a particularly female affliction (you can blame our cavegirl ancestors, who were genetically programmed to put others before themselves) and can steer you onto a road headed to unhappiness. “We create expectations of ourselves to always be there, be switched on, and get everything done,” explains life coach Vienda Maria. “And we learn from an early age that it’s our job to please others and take care of everyone emotionally, making sure they’re happy first. Over time, that can take us to the point of exhaustion.” While we might feel guilty pulling the pin on a crazy night out in favour of binge-watching reruns of Girlfriends (totally hypothetical), sometimes it’s exactly what we need to do. “It’s not selfish to look after your own needs first,” Maria says. “It’s like putting on your own oxygen
