Learning to put yourself first can be difficult if it’s not something you’ve considered before. That’s why it’s a good idea to encourage people, especially children, to embrace their own care and needs. Doing so can begin to tear down the stigma that it’s selfish or narcissistic to prioritize one’s own care. Sharing this concept with those around you can go a long way toward normalizing self-care. Take a look at these tips to encourage others to make self-care a priority, too.

Model Healthy Habits
One of the best and easiest ways to begin this process is to simply model the things you’re doing to those around you. Let them know that you’re taking some time for your own needs and interests so they can begin to understand why this is important to you. As your family, friends, and loved ones start to become accustomed to your self-care routine, they may consider ways in which they can follow suit.

Be Their Cheerleader
Simply encouraging the folks you care about to prioritize their needs can help them to see it’s not odd to do so. Encourage your friend to take some alone time when you see she’s feeling frazzled. Let your young child know it’s okay to add some hobbies or leisure time to their after-school activities. When others feel encouraged, they’ll be more apt to allow themselves the indulgence of self-care.

Make It Personal
When actively working with family members or loved ones to incorporate self-care into their routine, encourage them to make their activities personal. After all, the purpose of this type of action is to prioritize one’s self. These activities are meant to be personalized and unique to each individual. Remind them that some trial and error may be in order to discover which activities are the most rejuvenating and which may fit best into their own lifestyle.

Have Fun with It
One of the best ways to help others make self-care a habit is to make it fun. This is especially true when you have young children involved. When something is fun, you’re more likely to do it and to stick with it. So, try to add some fun and creativity to any self-care routine you help your family to establish. Go back to the individual activities each member has decided they would like to pursue and start there. If it’s something they’ve chosen themselves, they’ll be more willing to give it a go. Creating routines and activities as a family is another way to add fun, along with encouragement, to new self-care activities.

Getting others in on the act of self-care is a way to normalize the concept of prioritizing one’s self. It has the added benefit of ensuring you get your own downtime when the people around you are encouraged to do the same. Give it a try.