2020 has been a lot to process. Let’s end it on good terms with ourselves. Here are sanity-saving and self care tips to take with you into 2021.
When the hustle and bustle of life negatively affect our well-being, it is time to cast a critical anchor of self care. Self car is not selfish. You can’t nurture others unless you look after yourself first. You are going to need your strength, health and sanity!
Here are 5 tips sanity saving strategies to go from surviving to thriving :
1. Forgive Yourself
Forgive yourself for everything.Forgive yourself for the times you disappointed yourself, for the times you feel like you weren’t enough, for the bad decisions you’ve made, for the times you didn’t stand up for yourself.
Forgive yourself, be kind and try again tomorrow. Instead of saying “i was stupid for doing that” , change your language to “What can i learn from this ?“
2. Don’t Be A People Pleaser
People pleasing behaviour goes beyond simple kindness. It involves editing and altering words and behaviours for the sake of another’s people’s feelings or reactions. Disappoint someone is our worst fear. The urge to please others can be damaging to ourselves, especially when we draw our own self-worth from the approval of others.
You’ve heard this countless times. You cannot make everyone happy. You must put yourself first. So the next time someone asked for help or your tempted to intervene, consider :
- How you feel about the action. Is it something you want to do, or are you dreading it ?
- Whether you have time to see your own needs first. Will you have to sacrifice limited free time or skip out a necessary chores ?
- How helping will make you feel. Will it make you feel happy or resentful ?
3. Let Go of What You Can’t Control
We cannot change others, but we can modify our response. In the end, only we are responsible for our happiness and peace of mind. This year, we have the opportunity to use mindfulness to let go and release expectations of ourselves, others, and the world. It is up to us to appreciate the present moment and express gratitude for what we already have.
4. Allow yourself to :
Allow yourself to feel what you feel. It is all valid. Allow yourself to sit with those feelings and take your time working through them. Allow yourself to soothe in the best way to know how. Last but not least, allow yourself to reach out for help if it feels like too much.
5. If it feels wrong, don’t do it
When something feels inherently wrong, how many times have you pushed it aside and ignored it ? Or how often do you feel so strongly like you should be taking a risk, pulling the plug, or making the big move, but you hold back until you get approval from others ?
Be willing to take your chances doing stuff that may look crazy to others people – or not doing something that looks right to others but just feels wrong to you.
Take time for yourself … and may 2021 be a wonderful year for you !
