Gosh, life can be rough at times.
Even more so as we grow and learn more about ourselves.
Last year was a hard one for me, but happily I find myself in a beautiful and refreshingly new mindset. I pondered (over a pot of herbal tea of course) over some of the things that helped me feel more centered and in the process heal.
Here are 5 things that helped me greatly:
One // Letting go of guilt - especially when I felt I needed rest. In a culture that encourages the hustle and grind and "working hard" this was such a struggle for me. Every time I laid down to rest I felt bad about it... which when you think about it, it is really crazy and not okay. So I slowly started working on it, allowing myself rest when I was exhausted or even just needed a break and did not feel bad about it!
Two // Reminding myself daily that life can (and totally should) be fun and incorporating more fun into my daily life. It is so easy to get caught up in all the things we need to do and this endless to do list. It can easily become overwhelming. (I do not recommend.) So, I started finding ways that I could make life more fun, one of the things I got into this year was reading fiction books - aka books for fun. Honestly I was missing out all these years and a strict non-fiction reader.
Three // Saying no without guilt - this can be so hard but it's such a necessity. Growing up I had to be a bit of a people pleaser (not fun) and so guilt was like stained into my being. Also, I really struggled with this as an introvert. But I slowly strengthened this "muscle" and I have realized being able to say no regardless of the reason is self-care.
Four // Asking myself, "what's the worst that could happen?" ... and then reframing it to, "what's the best that could happen?" Usually, the worst that can happen really isn't that scary and then refocusing on the best possibility eases that fear and brings back in the excitement for me and because almost a mantra that I can focus on.
Five // Realizing the world is not going to end and I should have another cup of tea.
I hope this inspires you!
xo, Meli
