I like to think I’m a person that doesn’t care what other people think and isn’t affected by it - whilst I have definitely got better with time at not focussing on what other people think, I can’t say I'm immune to what others say. I have underestimated before the impact that side comments can have over time. At first, you can shake them off, but if you hear them enough times you do begin to believe it. Realising that is what has led me to notice how important your surroundings are and just how much of an impact they can have on you. Here is what I have done or found works to keep your environment positive and "protect your energy and vibe".
We all have those moments. Sometimes we just feel down and we can't explain it. We have an empty feeling we just can't shake off or seem to feel miserable for no particular reason. It happens to the best of us. Below are some things that have helped me when I'm feeling down.
I would say I am a people person and I do love spending time with my friends and family. However, one of the areas I think I have most grown and definitely grown partly in this year is enjoying my own company and being okay with being by myself. I don’t need to be surrounded by somebody every second of the day.
We all have friends, boyfriends, girlfriends etc.- people that we sometimes we want to hold on to. People we don’t let go because we think we should keep them or aren’t ready to let them go, but we’d be better off without them in our lives. This is something that isn’t easy. Sometimes it’s something that can make me feel guilty because I know that as people we aren’t perfect or I think about how things were before. But, it’s important to recognise when someone just isn’t healthy for you- this doesn’t mean that they are bad people or that you have to fall out with them. Just that maybe you need some distance. Below are some of the signs to when it could be time to let someone go.
How writing letters to myself has helped me
We are all always so busy - or feel the need to have things to do all that time that sometimes we neglect ourselves. We can get so caught up in helping others, giving ourselves to work, friends, family that we can forget to look after ourselves. Here are some of my fav things to do to reconnect with myself and sometimes just take that step back we very much need.
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).
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.
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.