Change The Way You See Yourself
A transition in my life which I struggle to articulate. Something inside me is more confident and more willing to be myself. You can do the same.
Change the way you see yourself.
Simple.
Watch this to understand more then continue reading:
I must admit, I thought this video was about morning routines from looking at the thumbnail.
I continued to watch nonetheless, and I found what might be the best way to explain what I’ve been feeling.
Not as extreme and not within the context of family support.
It happened naturally and through experiences with the world.
I changed the way I saw myself.
Not because I actively wanted to do so, but instead my life trajectory needed as much.
You see, looking at yourself as the worst and pessimistically isn’t to anyone’s gain but others.
I get why people think pessimistically and aren’t ambitious about the future.
The past is scarring and trains us to revert to terrible habits.
Mental health is interrelated. If you make yourself feel bad, you’ll feel bad.
The body and mind are inextricably linked. Once a coherent understanding of how they are, you’ll see the benefit of looking at yourself better than anyone treats themselves.
How are the body and mind linked?
I learned this from my osteopath. When you react to something, it is a bodily function that detects the abnormality and stigmatises the receptors to respond.
The body first then mind.
It was a concept that took some help to understand. The psychological aspects of our behaviour are increasingly discussed but not the physical.
It makes a lot of sense.
Body first. Mind after.
It’s a loop, of course, but the body commands operations in the next steps the mind should perform.
It was the beginning of March where I started to focus on fitness.
I cared about the way I looked, more than ever before.
I started to treat myself better. Feeding myself healthy foods and limiting excessive sugar.
I started the osteopath and learned about the way the body hurts and how to heal it.
I learned a long time ago and frequently documented that people really don’t care about you.
Most people will be around for a snapshot of your life and then disappear.
There are those who stick around for the ride, but they are few and far between.
If I take care of myself, I’ll be happy.
I don’t need to worry about making others happy — they should take care of themselves too.
Since I realised and truly internalised this understanding — I saw a difference.
My levels of empathy and gratitude skyrocketed.
At the time, I didn’t know why but wanted to be as supportive for people as possible.
My new motto, for the most part, is:
Invest in people, not emotion.
Always, I assumed others’ emotions for my own and lived within their sadness or anxiety. Hence why I needed counselling.
Now, I care about people. I want them to succeed. I will help them.
All as I used to do, but now I put my interests first.
I will drop everything to help you, as long as my interests are satisfied.
For too long, I prioritised other people above myself.
That’s so wrong.
I have to live with myself.
Since this gradual change, I have seen myself happier and more productive.
I know my limits, although I’m not afraid to stretch them, and I can make time for the people that matter.
I will always make time for those who matter most. The people who I see being integral to my personal and professional development.
I’ll work 9–5 and then hang out with friends, no problem.
I’ll have 7 hours sleep and feel fulfiled than have 3 hours sleep and gone clubbing and wasted my time.
Some say that I’ve grown up fast. I say that I haven’t even started.
The work ethic instilled in me from a young age is a blessing.
I can divide up time between what is important and what really doesn’t matter in the moment.
I am confident.
I am hard-working.
I am brave.
I am personal.
I am empathetic.
I love people.
I am no longer afraid.
I am no longer pessimistic.
I am no longer influenced by others expectations.
I changed myself.
When will you?