Three Gentle Steps to Self-Love Without Hurting the People Who Rely on You

Written by Gladys Mae Pamintuan, Guest Writer

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For the longest time, I believed that love meant sacrifice. That to care for others, my family, my team, my business meant constantly putting myself last. I grew up in a family where community was everything. We took care of each other, no questions asked. And as I grew older and became the breadwinner, not just for my immediate family but for almost our entire clan, that sense of responsibility only deepened.

Then I built a business. From the ground up. Today, I lead over 30 freelancers who rely on me for guidance, support, and vision. I became the go-to person. The fixer. The dependable one. In both my family and my company, I was the pillar everyone leaned on. And for a while, I wore that identity with pride. But behind the scenes, I was unraveling.

I remember one moment clearly. I was exhausted. Not just tired but soul tired. I looked at myself in the mirror, and I couldn’t recognize the person staring back. I was surviving, but I wasn't living. I kept asking myself, “If I’m doing all this for the once I love, why do I feel like I’m drowning?”

Then one day, my son said something that stopped me in my tracks. He looked at me, in all his innocent honesty, and said, “You need to stop being you.”

At first, I laughed it off, but those words echoed louder with each passing day. He wasn’t telling me to stop loving. He was telling me to stop abandoning myself. To stop saying “yes” to everything. To stop putting myself on the back burner. To stop teaching him, by example, that love meant burning yourself out. That was my wake-up call.

I realized I had to change. For me. For my son. For my family. For my team. Because I didn’t want to lead a life that showed love as self-erasure. I didn’t want to be the reason my children grew up believing that being successful meant being exhausted, or that being supportive meant being depleted.

So I began the journey inward. I started speaking to my inner self, the one I had silenced for years. The one who needed rest, grace, boundaries, and joy. I began carving out time to just be. That me who takes quiet time, to write, to reflect, to say no without guilt. I started treating myself like I mattered. Because I do. And so do you.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

“Self-love isn’t selfish. It’s strategic. It’s sustainable. It’s the first step toward wholeness.”

Whether you're a leader in your business or the backbone of your family, or both, know this, “running on empty helps no one”. You can’t pour from an empty cup. The more you give without refilling, the more likely you are to break.

Loving yourself doesn’t mean abandoning your people. It means showing up with presence instead of pressure. It means saying, “I need this hour for myself,” so that you can be more energized for the hours that truly matter. It means making peace with the fact that not everyone will understand your shift at first and that’s okay.

In my case, I had to slowly shift the way I communicated with both my team and my family. I started being transparent on how I feel. I told them when I needed space, when I was tired, and when I just couldn’t say yes. The world didn’t collapse, my world started to have brighter colors. I feel happier and more efficient.

Even in business, self-love has changed everything. I no longer operate from survival mode. I delegate more, empower others, and trust my team. And guess what? They thrive and they rise even higher. My team excels in every aspect, ensuring we deliver exceptional results to help businesses succeed.

So if you’re reading this and you feel stretched thin, if you’re the reliable one, the strong one, the one everyone counts on, there’s something I want to tell you:

1. "You deserve care too."

2. "You deserve rest too."

3. "You deserve the same love you give so freely to others."

   
   

The people who truly care about you will adjust. Some might resist at first. Some may not understand right away. But those who are meant to walk with you, they’ll evolve with you. And those who don’t? Maybe they were leaning on a version of you that was never meant to last.

So love yourself. Even when it’s uncomfortable. Especially when it’s unfamiliar. Because the world doesn’t need more burnt-out leaders or broken caregivers. It needs whole, grounded, self-aware people who lead with both strength and softness.

Here are gentle steps to self-love without hurting the people who rely on you:

1. Communicate honestly, not defensively

Start with one honest conversation. Let your loved ones or team know where you are emotionally, not in anger, but in truth. Say, “I’m realizing I’ve been running on empty, and I want to start taking better care of myself so I can keep showing up for you in a healthier way.” When they see it’s not about leaving them behind, but learning to stay with more intention, they’ll begin to understand.

2. Set micro-boundaries, not walls

You don’t need to disappear to reclaim your space. Start small like a walk alone each morning, an hour of no notifications, one “no” to something that doesn’t serve you. These aren’t rejections, they’re recalibrations. Boundaries don’t push people away. They help you stay present with them without losing yourself.

3. Lead by example, not explanation

You don’t have to over-explain your healing. Let them see it in action. Let them witness your calm, your clarity, your peace. They learn more from watching you honor yourself than from hearing you justify why you need to. Your actions will give them permission to do the same.

Put in mind that change doesn’t have to hurt the people you love. In fact, when done with compassion, your healing helps heal others too.

So take the step. Speak gently, but stand firmly. Start small, but stay consistent. You’re not becoming selfish, you’re becoming whole.

And from that wholeness, you’ll love them even better than before.

Disclaimer:

Gladys is not a certified coach or expert in self-love. Everything shared here comes from personal experience and lessons learned along the way. Professionally, she works as an Operation Business Manager (OBM), helping entrepreneurs manage virtual assistants and build rockstar teams so they can focus on what they do best. If you're ever in need of someone to bring structure, support, and serious results to your business backend, feel free to connect with her on Facebook or Linkedin.