5 Things It's Really Important to Stop Doing
As we inch closer to the new year, it’s not unusual to get introspective. Nearly everything on the internet right now is a retrospective of the year. The word of the year, the albums of the year, the Google searches of the year…its hard not to begin thinking about how we’ve spent the last 300 and something days.
A few months ago I shared 5 things I had learned so far in 2018. They aren’t little fun facts to be used at parties, but rather things I realized would be better for my mental health and overall wellbeing. So it goes without saying, this is another of those posts. I may not be the only one who needs these reminders. 2018 was a stressful year filled with quite a few unfortunate moments. As we inch toward 2019 these are 5 things we can take with us moving forward with the hopes that 2019 may be a little easier. We may not have total control over what happens, but we have the ability to decide how we manage these things.
Here are 5 things is really important to stop doing right now.
Stop Putting Yourself Down
Negative self-talk does a few things. First, it tears at your self confidence. Self confidence is sometimes hard to maintain to begin with. Second, it opens the doors for others to get to you. You begin to take comments by others more critically or read into their actions in other ways. At the end of the day, you are our own worst critic. Every little jab you make at yourself, tears at the existing shaky foundation. Similar to playing a game of Jenga. Every brick you remove makes the tower move and eventually the weight becomes too much and it topples. Instead, it’s important to realize your limitations and find the small things that make you happy. These things will increase your self-value and your self-esteem.
Stop Overthinking
This is easier said than done. Trust me, I say this to myself at least once a day and yet it remains one of my biggest problems. It’s incredibly hard to get out of our heads sometimes. This can lead to a constant feeling of being anxious and unsettled. Overthinking is a cycle that can be unbroken by realizing that we are continuously going over things that don’t matter in the long run. Realize that your mind is overthinking things that aren’t always in your control. Whether you are obsessing about something embarrassing or a decision you’ve made, remind yourself it likely won’t matter tomorrow.
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
Every day it’s easy to look at your friends, neighbors, coworkers, and people you follow on the internet and focus on what they are doing. Ultimately, this leads us to begin thinking about what they are doing and how we don’t compare. They may appear smarter, stronger, more advanced in their career, skinner, prettier, or more well off. But, keep in mind, especially with the internet, people are only putting their best selves forward in an attempt save face or paint themselves in a specific light. The only person you need to be concerned about is you. What makes you happy? What makes you feel fulfilled? Putting a stop to these negative patterns will increase your confidence and help you appreciate the little things about yourself that you’re always putting down.
Stop Grabbing for Your Phone
Your smartphone has become like a new limb. If you aren’t near it constantly, something just feels off. Checking your phone every few minutes doesn’t seem very harmful, right? You know like laying in bed and scrolling through emails before getting up for the day. Or just “checking” Instagram and then scrolling for what seems like an entire hour. Your attempts to just check in with what is happening eventually turns into responding to emails before you’ve even had a chance to wake up. This is a problem because you’re impeding on your mornings and, perhaps, rushing things that require a bit more thought. When it comes to endless Instagram scrolling, it’s going to be there no matter when you check it. Don’t get distracted by mindless scrolling. Give yourself time to get sorted and be at peace. Sometimes the silence and the moments away from the phone are what you need most.