10 Things to Remind Yourself on a Daily Basis
Re-posted from MindBodyGreen:
10 Things to Remind Yourself on a Daily Basis
Bad days can be extremely overpowering sometimes. When we’re having a bad day, everything feels wrong and the day seems to get even worse as we sink further into frustration and despair. By the end of the day, all we want to do is pull the covers up over our heads and block it all out.When I clawed my way out of a depressive phase last year, it was a daily challenge to keep myself from falling back into that phase again. I had to go through a process of re-building my self-esteem and re-evaluating my life. But there were days when I was not very successful with these things and the negative thoughts that stayed with me for so long would interfere again.
It sort of felt like climbing up and over a steep hill and every time I let a negative or discouraging thought sink in, my foot would slip and I would roll all the way back down to the bottom of the hill and have to start all over again.
On the bad days, I would feel like it would never end and that I would always be unhappy.
To achieve mental balance, I have to make a habit of reminding myself of a few important things that I think we all tend to forget when there is a black cloud looming over our heads.
1. Do not lose sight of what truly matters. Does that clogged sink signify the end of the world? Are you going to remember or even care that the stranger you smiled at in the coffee shop didn’t smile back? When we’re having a bad day, we seem to zoom in on petty things and complain about them. Next time you’re pulling your hair out over something, ask yourself if it really matters.
2. It is okay to be alone or pull back from the world. Sometimes we just need to step back and re-evaluate a situation, a relationship, or just life in general. When I went through my healing period, I spent a lot of time alone as I tried to become my own best friend again. If you need to go into hiding for awhile and work on stitching yourself back up, take the time to do that. It is so important to pull back and spend quality time with yourself every now and then.
3. You are not always in control. You cannot predict when certain things will or should happen, or how everything will turn out. Sometimes you just have to stop pushing and let go.
4. What other people think is irrelevant. I was a miserable slave to the opinions of others. It got to a point where I was trying so hard to please everyone but myself. Don’t let your immediate reaction to criticism be to change whatever it is you’re being criticized for. Do whatever feels right to you, regardless of what other people have to say about it.
5. Don’t give up. If you’re fighting for something that means a lot to you, do not stop fighting whenever you happen to fall short. Remember why you are fighting for it.
6. You don’t have to know all the answers. No one ever has life all figured out. We are always learning and growing. Life itself is a mystery and it’s okay to feel clueless sometimes.
7. You are enough. All of us have had times in our lives where we have thought, “I’m not smart enough or pretty enough or strong enough or exciting enough to do _____.” Give yourself a chance instead of forming limiting beliefs.
8. Stay present. Try not to dwell on the past or worry about the future. Take everything one day at a time.
9. Your feelings will not kill you. I know that heartbreak, grief, depression, or resentment might make you feel like you’re dead and breathing, but you have the strength to get through whatever life throws at you. Hold on and see yourself through it.
10. You are human. This is probably the biggest reminder of them all. You will make mistakes. You will hurt other people and other people will hurt you. You won’t always feel happy and positive. Next time you feel the urge to beat yourself up over any of these things, remind yourself that you are an imperfect human being instead.
Published February 7, 2012 at 10:30 AM
About Madison Sonnier
Madison Sonnier is a writer who has written for several online publications and is seeking connection and fulfillment. She loves to express herself and ultimately hopes to make people feel inspired and less alone through her writing. You can follow her blog at journeyofasoulsearcher.blogspot.com or follow her on Twitter @MyLyricQuotes.
I’m very glad that everyone has so enjoyed this post. I just wanted to make sure to request that everyone help spread the Love to the original author by visiting their website MindBodyGreen. Thanks :)
You are enough…that is my favorite.
It’s something that is very easily forgotten sometimes. It’s nice to have a reminder. Maybe make it your goal today to remind other people as well. :)
That is my goal everyday. :)
Very sound advice. thanks for sharing.
Love this! Your writing will be my meditation for today. I am enough. I am human. Rinse. Repeat. Thanks for the reminders!
I’m glad you found it inspiring. I think the best self help is always meditation, and that is, most importantly for me, completely free of charge. Enjoy and spread the Love!
Wow, really great advice here. Good post!
Hello Madison
I thank you for sharing your thinking here. I can relate with what you say as I have experienced dark nights of the soul, in fact it showed up today. Here is what I say on the matter at hand.
MISTAKES – you say you are human and you will make mistakes. That is one way of looking at it. Another place to stand, I say a more powerful/liberating place to stand, is one where you see there are no mistakes. There are never any mistakes, simply what is so and what is not so, what happened and what did not happen. Mistake is a sticker you apply on that situation at hand or that which occured or did not occur. As you are the one applying the stickers you an can choose to not apply any stickers or choose the stickers you apply e.g. “wow, how interesting is that. I wonder why I did what I did?”
ANSWERS – you will never know all the answers. And certainly the answers that really matter you have to create for yourself. For example, Who Am I? What is the meaning of my life? What is the purpose of my life? How best to live my life? What is really so? The key is to be with the question that matter. Which questions matter? The ones that do not have answers!
CONTROL – you are never in control. Heck, you are not even in control of the thoughts and feelings that show up for you! They just happen. Think that you are in control of them. Then stop your thinking right now and keep it stopped for say 10 seconds. Did you manage? How about your feelings – you are feeling sad, go ahead and generate feeling delighted. Fail? Control is an illusion. You do not need control, only the willingness to dance with that which shows up in your life.
GIVE UP RESISTING, INSTEAD BE WITH WHAT SHOWS UP WITHOUT IDENTIFYING/GETTING ATTACHED TO WHAT SHOWS UP. Sadness / melancholy hit me in waves today, right out of nowhere. I could have chosen to resist and before I woke up that is exactly what I would have done. And by resisting my sadness would have persisted. Today, I simply accepted that sadness/melancholy showed in my life. I chose to be with the guests that entered into my house of being. By the end of the day I got that I had invited them in during he course of reading a very moving passage in the The Brothers Karamazov. When I had got present to how I had ‘wasted my life’ and how I could have lived my life then my friends sadness/meloncholy arrived shortly after. Now at the end of the day I am at peace and enlightened.
At your service / with my love
maz
Thank you for sharing your very well thought out reply. I just started following your blog and look forward to reading many wonderful posts from you in the future.
Reblogged this on Radhika Bauerle Radhika Puranam and commented:
Excellent blog by Madison Sonnier.
Good blog. I am reblogging. Thank you.
This is a beautiful post that helps staying conscious every day! Thank You!
Ah, #10. I keep forgetting that I’m not a perfectly-crafted cyborg built to master all tasks. Once, I knitted myself a robot to sit on my desk and remind me that I’m quite different from a robot, even a cute squishy one with dangly legs. It’s actually a pretty good reminder… most days.
Thank you for this.
You’re welcome. Make sure to follow the link to the original post to pay back the Love to the authors. :)
I like the idea of “stitching yourself back up’ — I’ve been in a phase of that very thing. And I find myself feeling more & more clueless with each passing year, haha Learning to just let that be ……….. Nice post:)
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