What the &#@% Do You Do When You Don't Feel Like Yourself?
The last year has been a whirlwind. There have been new fears, tons of anxiety, and uncomfortableness brought on by uncertainty. I don’t know that anyone has made it through completely unscathed and technically isn’t not entirely over just yet. Even the New York Times knows most of us are…languishing. A topic of conversation I had just last week. There have been plenty of times where I frankly haven’t felt like myself. Maybe that was through insecurities brought to light by life being turned upside down or the struggle with a situation that was unfamiliar. 2020 made me really sit and consider what was important to me, serving me, and what I could let go of. It was a time to reevaluate some parts of my life.
To me personally, the last year has felt pretty weird. I’m used to working from home, but removing the outlets I have to interact with others and boost my mental health was sometimes a struggle. That is not to say there weren’t some exciting times like getting to meet with my friends for Zoom Happy Hours. It was all too easy and still is, to feel completely unmotivated and plain exhausted. Even as we get back to “normal” sometimes I still don’t feel like myself. Maybe I’m not the same person I was a year ago. Maybe I’m anxious about what comes next. I’ll be honest, trying to make plans for literally anything sucks. It changes so quickly.
Even though we all experienced relatively the same thing we were all impacted in different ways. While we weren’t entirely alone in it, it felt pretty isolating and lonely. So as things turn around what the heck do you do when you just don’t feel like yourself?
Straight Up Acknowledge the Feeling
As human beings, we can feel really prone just putting on a brave face and pretending like things are fine even when they aren’t. I am always battling with acknowledging the feeling, ignoring it, or trying to convince myself there has to be a silver lining somewhere. But ignoring feelings just means they are going to come back later and worse than they appeared before. It is not worth it. Life has ups and downs. Acknowledging whatever feelings you have is important and when you don’t feel like yourself, make a note of it. There is likely a reason why you’re feeling this way. Maybe it’s within your control and maybe it’s not, but acknowledging it can help you deal with the problem.
Make a Gratitude List
The social media-filled world we lived in where likes are everything can be pretty defeating. It might be one of the reasons you feel particularly down on yourself. We can all use a little gratitude and taking a moment to find pleasure in small things in our lives. Whether it’s the network of people you interact with daily, a hobby you enjoy, or cuddles with a puppy - whatever the case may be, these small things should be celebrated and appreciated rather than looking at what is missing. I know we can all be guilty of looking around rather than enjoying what we do have and gratitude is a small gesture that can make a big difference.
Do Something You Truly Love
Through the pandemic, many of us have picked up new hobbies and interests we didn’t have time for before or simply focused on things we love doing just a little bit more. Like me with this blog. Whether it has 1 reader or 10 million, I love creating posts and content for it. What is something you love that makes you feel like the very best version of yourself? Is it working out? Enjoying the great outdoors? Cooking? Is it simply maintaining a morning routine? Once you can identify the things you love - do them more often. Before you know it, you’ll be feeling like yourself. Especially when it means getting more exposure to society again. Dipping your toes in the water slowly can do wonders for mental health and with adjusting to the “new normal.”
