Stepping outside of yoru comfort zone came to mind recently when I was thinking of the fact that I have done things that my younger self would be terrified to do. I think it is important to challenge yourself, but equally not overstretch yourself so much to the point that you are putting yourself in a situation you are completely uncomfortable in and unready for.
Having moved to a new city for university recently, identity and where I’m from is a subject I find myself talking about quite a lot. Meeting new people inherently involves presenting yourself and your identity (or parts of your identity). This has made it more obvious to me how identity is not something simple and there are many dimensions to it, which can sometimes be difficult to convey to people (especially someone you have just met or when you have a short period of time). This can sometimes leave you feeling a little lost or like you are not being true to yourself.
I always find these posts really interesting to read and it is a nice opportunity to reflect on what I have learnt and the different ways I've grown. So here is what I would tell my younger self.
Something I have got more into a habit of is setting goals for myself. I think I have always had some sort of target to keep myself grounded and focussed, but in the last two years, I have been setting more goals for myself regularly. For the past 2 years, I have enjoyed setting myself an overarching goal at the beginning of the year and then small goals in between to be aid reaching that bigger overall goal. I like to categorise goals into personal and academic/ work, although sometimes the two can merge.
Dear reader,
We all experience change - it is inevitable and happens and will continue to happen. It's not something I find easy if I'm honest. But, I don't think anyone does. When struggling with change, I used to beat myself up about it thinking that other people were better at it. Or that I just wasn't the best with it. Here is the thing, there is no magic formula to it and everyone struggles with it. No one is 'good at change'. There are some people who adapt to it more quickly, but everyone goes through a period of adjustment.
Comparison - something that can be so hurtful to yourself and almost inevitable. It usually entails looking up to someone who is supposedly doing a lot better than you and feeling less worthy because you have not achieved the same. I think most people do this even if subconsciously at some point (in my case and many others it is not done purposefully).
In so many places, I have come across the importance of 'balance' - having a 'balanced' diet, a 'balance' between social life and work life and more generally the balance of sleep, social life and work. Whilst of course it is important that we are being careful not to overdo one and therefore burn out, I have come to realise that using this word can be a little misleading. When you think of balance, you think of equal. Yet when it comes to life, it's very difficult that you are going to get everything exactly equal.
Be you - such an overused phrase which can often sometimes lead us to think but how? I've heard this phrase more times than I can count and I get why people use it. Being authentic is something so important not only for your own happiness, but to ensure you are making the right choices for you. However, I've personally found that people just telling you to be yourself doesn't always help or give you any indication as to how you are supposed to do that or even what it means.
This year, as one of the most academically demanding years I have experienced so far, with that bringing stressful situations, I have had to come up with ways to manage that stress (so as not to completely go insane). That isn't to say that I will not have more stressful years (inevitably as I go through the education system it gets harder, more workload and more stressful, but these are a few things that I used and helped this year). I am not a psychiatrist, therapist, psychologist or specialist of any kind- these are methods that helped me and hopefully they can help you too. If stress becomes unmanageable, remember there is always help available and there is absolutely no shame in seeking it.
Something that perhaps took me longer to realise than it should have is the fact that at the end of the day you are the one person you can trust to make sure what you want to get done gets done. People are not always reliable and there will come a point when someone will let you down. You may let yourself down at some point too - and that is normal and is okay. We are all learning. However, the difference is that you can control your actions, but you cannot control the actions of others.
In a world driven by results, it is easy to get lost in whether you have reached a certain milestone or a particular figure. It can feel like it does not matter what effort or work we put in, if we missed the mark, we missed the mark. It can be all too easy to forget that our best is always good enough regardless of the result.
Sometimes you can be your own worst enemy and the things you tell yourself can hold you back. Changing a little how you view things can have a huge impact on how you feel and your motivation. Sometimes it can even impact the result. Here are a few tips to help you think and feel a little more positive.
The first thing to acknowledge with this is that it does not happen overnight and it is impossible to be positive all the time. It is normal to have more down days and not always feel positive. Achieving a more positive mindset happens gradually and it does not mean being positive all of the time. It is about having a more positive outlook on things most of the time.
I can't quite believe that I have had this blog for just over year. I did a post last year similar to this which is linked here. This is what I learnt from 2018 (well some of what I learnt - I learnt more than just 5 things, I promise 😉😂).
We all have insecurities, including the people we don't think do. Even people who appear arrogant are probably concealing their insecurity behind the lack of acceptance of any type of criticism. Everyone has areas that they feel less confident about. Don't stress and feel alone when you doubt yourself at times or sometimes feel more insecure - I actually think that a little bit of self-doubt is helpful. It keeps you growing and learning. But, if not kept in check, it can stop us from living our life to the fullest and enjoying activities we would without lots of insecurities running our minds. I hope that if you happen to stumble upon this post when you are having one of those days, this helps and makes you feel better.
I have always been a person that keeps a diary- I go on and off it, but in the end, I always go back to it. Recently, after a while of not keeping one, I have gone back to it. A little bit of a different post, but here is how keeping a diary has helped and continues to help me.
It is true that appearance isn't what is important and that it is inner beauty that counts. That being said, we cannot deny that as a society we do focus on appearance and we all care about how we look to an extent. Taking time to look put together can help you feel put together - how you look can impact how you feel.
Dear reader,
Most of us want direction. Sometimes we want to have everything worked out, but we can't because life is unpredictable.