At the beginning of this month, I decided to embark on a journey of self discovery. I know, I know, I’m rolling my eyes too! I made a list of unrealistic goals and expectations to put into my routine to create the newer and better me! Obviously that failed dismally like it always does and I couldn’t figure out why on earth I can never get it right and went into that terrible cycle of beating myself up for it and never being able to change.
After about 3 weeks of treating myself and my mind like absolute trash I went back to the drawing board determined to not give up like I always do. Upon some introspection and evaluation of my past failures, I realized that the first step to changing my life would be to make some small changes in the way I do things.
Goals
I decided to make a vision board. This time instead of looking for images and spending hours procrastinating on finding the perfect ones, I kept it simple. I wrote out my goals on a whiteboard with a simple black marker and put a circle around it.
I’ve learnt that I am a pen and paper kind of gal and having things written out makes a huge difference. Sticking it on my wall meant that I had to stare at it all day long and truly consider what steps I needed to take to get me one step closer to my goal. I also had to stop putting down vague goals like “Financial Freedom” and “buying a car”. I need to quantify my dreams and put a number to it. This also helped me to sharpen my focus and know exactly what I was working towards.
Mindset
In recent years, I learnt something very disappointing about myself that I never expected. I was a really REALLY negative thinker and I always looked at the worst parts of every situation. I was the definition of a nay-sayer. I only discovered this after being married to an extremely positive partner. My negative thinking was so bad I could talk myself out of any and every opportunity.
I decided to put a section on my vision board that I write on whenever I have a negative thought about myself. I made it a point to counter all of the bad thoughts with something positive and encouraging. This has been such a powerful tool for my mental health! I find myself trying to think of something positive about myself even when I don’t have my board near by to write on. This small act has boosted my confidence and has helped me take a small step in the right direction.
Be kind to yourself
I read something the other day that said we should be as kind to ourselves as we are to our friends and family. This really got me thinking. I pride myself in being a cheerleader for those around me. I call myself a professional hype-woman. But when I read that statement, I realized I don’t hype myself up and cheer myself on when i need it most. It’s amazing what a few positive words to yourself can do for your mental health! Instead of focusing on my failures, I made a list of all the things I managed to achieve this year. Granted, the list wasn’t very long, but it was something, and it made me feel proud and accomplished and worthy of the “hype”
This year has been.. erm.. challenging.. Despite that, I have chosen to finish the year strong! Starting from the inside, all the way out!#TumiWellness #MentalWellness #SelfDiscovery #AtHomeMassage #ThePowerOfPositiveThinking