By @JBayleyWrites
With prospects and possibility of a summer abundant with freedom and fun, it is important not to get swept up with unhealthy mindsets and detrimental goals.
Image courtesy of Pixabay
While many of us may have begun this year with goals and new year’s resolutions, if we learnt anything from the turbulent year of 2020 which we just left behind, it is that sometimes you just have to take things one day at a time. With things ever-changing, it is once again paramount that we prioritise our mental health and remember to give ourselves those breaks which we might not be getting in our usual ways.
Lockdown and social distancing measures take a toll on people and their mental health differently but not having many of those familiar comforts and distractions makes this a lot harder.
We recognise things are harder, that lockdowns and all that accompanies them are difficult and challenging especially mentally, yet we still allow this internalised self-scrutiny, why? Why is it that we can comprehend that situation which we all working incredibly hard to deal with, but not cut ourselves a bit of slack?
Goal setting can be bountiful and enriching, however that is only when done in the right way. Set goals for yourself. Strive to achieve them. Aim to better yourself. But be kind to yourself too. Do not berate yourself if you do not manage to perfect every single thing and every one of your goals, particularly if those goals were never going to be achievable.
The current climate and the hope which we have been presented with in the form of the light at the end of the tunnel, should have you excited and feeling positive and planning obsessed. What it should not have you doing is listing everything you need to change about yourself by the summer. Pressure to present that 'perfect' summer body and mirror your life to the Pinterest boards that you have made over the last few months might be unhelpful and sometimes even unhealthy.
It is important to be the conscious of the fact that you should not fixate on bettering yourself at the expense of your healthy self and your better judgement. We have come so far, too far in fact, to beat ourselves up over whatever we might feel unaccomplished about, instead applaud yourself for the vast number of things you have achieved.
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Tagged in Mental Health Lockdown