1. You shouldn’t feel guilty for resting. You cannot be productive every moment of every day. You need to give yourself breaks in order to keep yourself healthy. You need to be kind to your body and mind. You’re actually going to be less productive and less capable of helping out your loved ones if you never give yourself a chance to rest. Even though you might feel pressured to run around all day, you need to remind yourself resting is productive, too. Don’t feel guilty for relaxing. You don’t have to earn your breaks. You already deserve them.

2. You shouldn’t feel guilty for expressing your emotions. You’re allowed to cry. You’re allowed to get angry. You’re allowed to have deep, complex, confusing emotions. You don’t have to be happy every second of the day. You don’t have to pretend you’re fine. You’re allowed to tell your loved ones how you feel. You shouldn’t feel guilty about burdening them. They’ll be happy you opened up to them.

3. You shouldn’t feel guilty for following your own path. You shouldn’t feel like a disappointment if you refuse to follow the career path your parents suggested or end up staying single longer than the rest of your friends. Your loved ones might hope you follow a certain path because they want you to be happy and think they know what’s best for you. However, they aren’t in charge of the direction your life takes. You get to make your own decisions. You don’t have to listen to anyone other than yourself.

4. You shouldn’t feel guilty for putting yourself first. You shouldn’t ignore your own needs and desires because you’re too busy taking care of everyone else. Your feelings matter, too. You shouldn’t spend too much time worrying about the people around you that you forget to ask yourself whether you are happy. Even though you’re a people pleaser, even though you want what’s best for your friends and family, it’s not selfish to focus on yourself for a change. You’re allowed to make decisions that make you feel fulfilled. You’re allowed to put yourself first.

5. You shouldn’t feel guilty for saying no. You don’t have to help everyone who asks you for a favor. Even though you might feel bad about turning them down, you don’t want to burn yourself out. You don’t want to put too much on your plate at once. Your loved ones are going to understand if you’re too busy to help them out. They won’t hold it against you — and if they do, that says more about them than it does about you.

6. You shouldn’t feel guilty for failing to be perfect. There’s nothing wrong with losing a job, going through a breakup, or having trouble paying the rent. Everyone goes through hard times. You shouldn’t be ashamed of how imperfect you feel because perfect doesn’t exist. You’re always going to have problems. You’re always going to strive for more. But you need to see the beauty within yourself. You’re doing so much better than you realize. You should really give yourself more credit.