That's right. Stop plastering the idea of "You need to put yourself first" all over social media. Social media has become the epitome of talking to talk.

All too often we post on social media about our thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs, yet we never put them into action within the real world. Our personal health is such an important part in our lives that it has simply become a conversation piece and nothing more.

Now I know there are lots of you who actively take care of your personal health, and I applaud you on that. Keep up that good work and don't lose sight of that personal care. The issue is still present though, and it lies within social media. We have all heard it before. Social media allows us to put on a mask and become a more "gutsy" and "upfront" person.

A huge issue with this is that we have fallen into the trap of saying things (whether we mean it or not), and then those things we say don't carry into our actions in real life. This is what has happened with the idea of putting yourself first. Not a day goes by where I see at least one person tweeting about how important our mental health is, or how they are done with toxic people and going to finally put themselves first. It is important to remind each other of self-importance, but all that is happening is it is becoming a cliche discussion.

Putting yourself first is something we should all be doing, but we don't. We need break this habit we have of solely talking about it and instead take action. This isn't an easy thing to do, and I can attest. When I was in elementary and middle school, I never put myself first. I said yes to everyone and was always putting others first. I believed in the idea of putting oneself first, and I would promote the importance of the idea to others. However, when it came to myself, I never put those ideas into action within my own life.

In high school, that all changed. Junior year of high school I found my passion for weight lifting which really broke me out of that pattern where I put others first. Time at the gym was time for me (and only me) to improve myself. With continuance of a gym routine it started to diffuse the idea of putting myself first into other aspects of my life. Now, I didn't abandon everyone nor never put others first. I just learned how to put myself first as the right times, and when I need that time to improve personally. Even today, I still put myself first as I still put others first. I'm willing to help others with school, but when I have enough work to do myself, I will tell people that I can't help them. I hang out with my friends and family a lot of the time, but when I need time to de-stress or do my own thing, I do so. It's never easy, but you just need to find a balance so you may improve your self while helping others.

Put yourself first. Cut back on the times you talk about it, and instead push yourself to put yourself first in life. Amazing things happen when you take self importance seriously and make it a part of your life. It will never be easy, but with persistence you can do it.

Stop saying "you need to put yourself first" and just do it for yourself, starting now.