There are some people on this earth that focus on other people’s needs before their own. Sometimes this may be a good trait to have, it can also be mentally and physically draining. Prioritizing others’ needs may interfere with one’s own priorities.

“Focusing on others before myself is something I struggle with,” freshman Hailey Russo said. “Of course it depends on the situation, but I usually say yes even if I know it might be difficult for me to help them out.”

Always trying to make others happy and pleasing other people before oneself may cause many problems.

“I think that I do it a lot unconsciously,” senior AnLi Butler said. “I like to please others and make others day better and I sometimes tend to forget about my own feelings and opinions. I like to help people a lot in as many ways as possible.”

When it comes to the point where helping others is hurting someone, it may be the time to step back and do what is best for themselves. Finding a solution that allows one to balance their own needs along with others’ might be difficult, but these situations may be what is best for one’s mental state.

“A happy medium is a good solution because if you’re doing something for someone else and it ends up hurting you that’s where you should draw the line,” Butler said. “I think that helping others is an important character trait, but if it starts impacting you negatively socially, mentally, or physically, then that’s when it’s time for you to put yourself first out of anything.”

Saying yes to everyone may make life unnecessarily stressful and could cause problems between friendships. Sometimes, saying no may be the best choice in the long run.

“Sometimes telling someone the truth can either be good for you, or bad for you and the other person,” sophomore Armani Sarpy said. “It could cause problems but most of the time I’m going to tell the truth because I’m honest with my friends.”

Although always putting others’ problems before one’s own may be stressful, it is always a plus to their personality. Caring about what others need is never going to be a bad thing. Helping someone with a situation that’s not extremely heavy and an easy fix, may not be good for one.

“If it’s a simple thing that could be done, it doesn’t hurt to help out as many people as you can, but more often than not it depends on the situation involved,” Butler said. ”If it’s something that might be too much to handle, you have to think of yourself before you think of others.”

Helping others can be something to make time for, but it does not always have to be. There is no set path for everyone; the “right way” changes based on the direction of each life. However, it’s important to remember that happiness, health and self-fulfillment are meant to be personal priorities before helping others.