In the last five months, you’ve discovered a whole new version of yourself that you probably didn’t even know existed. From shifting how you live, work, travel, and connect with others, you’ve already shown just how resilient you are in the face of uncertainties.
So, today, we encourage you to stop for a moment to give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back. Under “normal” circumstances, everything you’ve achieved thus far is incredible, throw in a world pandemic, and it’s safe to say that you deserve a medal for your ability to adapt and reposition yourself with each new curve ball life throws your way.
And as our planet continues to rotate on its axis, and the world experiences new changes that occur on almost a weekly basis, you’re going to need to hold onto this new self-realization you’ve recently discovered and continue to stay flexible in the days ahead.
Recognizing Your Inner Strength
For most of us, admitting that we’ve done well at something feels uncomfortable. Maybe you’re afraid to compliment yourself because you think it sounds like you’re bragging. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. In only a few months, you’ve transformed your lifestyle to help protect the health of others, as well as your own wellness. And the shift hasn’t been easy. There’s been moments of frustration, anger, and fear—all surrounding the dreaded question: “so, what’s next?”
Yet, amid all these challenges, here you are! Stronger, wiser, and more resilient than ever. So, though it feels strange to give yourself credit, it’s time you try it.
To help you get started and practice doing this every day, here are three ways to fight self doubt and give yourself a friendly pat on the back:
- Challenge Your Inner Critic: We all have that little voice telling us that what we’re doing isn’t good enough. Allow yourself to fight back by recognizing all the accomplishments you achieve each day. Always questions these accusations right before they begin to seep into your mindset. If you stop them short in their tracks and don’t allow them to have any hold over you, you’ll quickly realize just how powerful you are in making your own decisions and forming your own opinions about your self-worth.
- Give Yourself a Compliment Every Day: This practice always starts out a little awkward, but if you stick to it each day, you’ll notice it gets easier and more enjoyable over time. Start each morning with a small compliment: “you are a kind person,” or “people think you’re trustworthy.” And end each evening with another compliment: “you were very professional on that phone call” or “you crossed off a lot on your “to-do” list.” By beginning and ending each day with some well-deserved “kudos to you,” you’ll start to remember that these statements are true, and you won’t need to remind yourself of them so often.
- Reward Yourself: If you’ve been putting off self-care activities like going to the hair salon or any of your favorite hobbies like golfing, dancing, or kayaking, plan a day each week, or once a month, to pursue the things that bring you joy and make you feel more like you. This can also include small events like grabbing a venti latte on a Friday or ordering takeout from your favorite pho restaurant. Give yourself tiny rewards for making it through each week and remember that you’ve earned each and every one of them.
Staying Resilient for What’s Next
When events are out of our control, there’s a natural tendency to start feeling anxious as you wait for the next batch of bad news to change your routine…once again. But living in fear like this won’t protect or shield us from what’s ahead. Instead, we need to remember how we’ve grown and adapted in just a short amount of time and use that realization to empower us for the next five months.
To help you refocus your mind and wellness on the positives and stop yourself from waiting for the next big event, here are some coping techniques to try at home:
Repeat After Me: “I AM RESILIENT”: You’ve already proven there’s nothing you can’t handle. Keep this knowledge close and remind yourself each day that no matter what happens, you will keep landing on your feet. Experiences like the ones we find ourselves in now often demonstrate how resilient we truly are and allow us to see ourselves from a new perspective.
Control What You Can & Let Go of the Rest: The world has no plans of slowing down, and as we’ve already experienced, our way of life can change in an instant. Therefore, it’s important to focus on what you can control: your behavior, your attitude, your beliefs, your routine, etc. and let go of the things you cannot. Once you acknowledge that certain things are out of your hands, you stop taking everything on as a personal crusade and learn to choose your battles more carefully.
Find Support: Social distancing has proven beneficial in helping slow the spread of COVID-19, but it’s also made it difficult to give us that one human necessity we all crave: human contact. Thankfully, we live in a world that allows us the freedom to connect to our family and friends virtually from anywhere around the world. Of course, many of us still desire the closeness of in-person interactions, but that time will eventually come. Until then we do have other ways to stay in contact, talk through our worries and fears, and grow together.
We’re Always Here for You
Again, we encourage you to take time today to remind yourself that you are strong, resilient, and adaptable. Remember that you have made it thus far, and you will continue to grow and thrive with each new day that passes.
From all of us at The Calli Institute, we are in awe of your achievements and want you to know that we’re always here to help you find support and guidance as we all begin this next chapter together.