Don't neglect yourself, no matter what you're going through

When you neglect yourself, it's a form of self-punishment.

We rarely see it that way, but we singles can fall into a bad habit of not caring about our appearance, our health, or even our safety. Depression can bring on suicidal thoughts. Even if you're smart enough not to act on them, you may become self-destructive in other ways.

If your life is miserable, you may lose pride in things that used to matter to you. This is something we singles need to monitor constantly.

Neglect yourself and send a message

Is it wrong to take pride in your appearance? Many people believe that pride in any form is wrong. I think we can draw the line at what's reasonable.

It's reasonable to wear an attractive haircut and clean, neat clothes. But when you start to obsess over your appearance, spending too much time and money on it, that's unreasonable. How much is too much? When it constantly occupies your thoughts, takes hours of your time every day, and consumes way too much of your money (you know what I'm talking about here), then you've gotten unreasonable.

But we're talking about the opposite side. If you don't bathe as often as you should, let your hair get unkempt and wear dirty clothes, you're telling people you don't care about yourself. You're saying you're not worth the time to maintain yourself. It conveys a message of low self worth.

The simple but ugly truth is, if you don't like yourself, other people will find it hard to like you too. When you neglect yourself, soon people will start avoiding you instead of paying attention to you. You'll feel even more isolated and lonely.

This kind of self-punishment is not healthy. If you're doing it, you need to ask yourself why, and then resolve to stop it. If you're suffering from depression, talk to your doctor about it immediately.

Neglect yourself at your own risk

Neglecting your health is not only a sin, it's downright stupid. Sorry to be blunt, but I promised you the truth on this site. Sure, medical and dental costs are outrageous, but we have an obligation to ourselves, our family, and to God to take care of our health. Do what it takes to get the help you need.

Here's a universal truth: When you're young, you feel like you're invincible. Many young people engage in risky behavior, such as driving recklessly or using drugs or alcohol because they think "It can never happen to me." Every day it happens to dozens, maybe hundreds of people who think that. Taking needless risks is not cool; it's dumb.

I don't want to harp on being overweight because I'm a naturally thin person, but I do know how difficult it is to lose weight and keep it off. If you do any reading at all, you're aware of the many health risks of being overweight.

We singles can't just think about today or this month. We need to think long-term. If our health goes bad because of something we could have prevented, that makes it that much harder to live alone.

The best reason not to neglect yourself

How can you say thanks to God? It's like trying to buy a present for the person who has everything. One of the ways we can express our appreciation for our salvation is to take care of ourselves, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Christians really don't own themselves. Jesus paid for us with his death on the cross, rescuing us from being slaves to sin. So he owns us. You can thank him for his sacrifice by taking good care of yourself.

When you get mad at God, and we all do sometimes, you may be tempted to neglect yourself to "punish" him. God loves you and cares for you, but that kind of thinking is misguided. Do you really want to hurt Jesus, who laid down his life for you? I don't think so.

Look, you're probably old enough to know that life is like a roller coaster and goes up and down. If you're down right now, eventually your life will come back up again.

Throughout this web site are tips on how to get it going back up. No matter where you are, have the foresight and wisdom to take good care of yourself, in all regards. When you're on top again--and you will be--you'll be glad you did.

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