Written by Siena Chitty
The Peace Within You
There is a place, where you will have the ability to thrive abundantly and conquer your emotions with grace, in social situations, in vital life decisions and meaningful relationships.
Not all of us are there yet.
And some of us are unaware we have already made it to that place, often because success and personal growth are wildly different for all of us, which shows up in Social Media and is why that platform can become toxic, when the subconscious mind is constantly striving to achieve other people’s goals or is in self comparison mode.
“Self Care is how you take your power back.”
– Lalah Delia
Own Your Lane
The obstacles or bad habits in between are what keep us in the same cycles and thought patterns, though life lessons often show up in different ways, helping us to evolve in our personal journeys.
The lessons granted, although sometimes difficult, are always for the greater good. I believe that making mistakes is vital to the process of life as it makes you stronger, more empathetic, grounded and confident.
Own your lane with all that you are, it doesn’t happen overnight but there are ways to tap into it. Perhaps start by saying a nice thing about yourself, in your head or out loud when you look in a mirror, as this will then evolve into one day not brushing off a compliment you receive from someone, but instead saying ‘Thank-you, I appreciate that.’
“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”
— Leonard Cohen
The Routine Of You
There is a lot to be said about getting a decent night’s sleep, drinking enough water and eating healthy food.
I do advocate that but another main point I would like to express is having a solid and consistent routine.
This not only keeps your mind occupied but gives you the opportunity to trust yourself in every little success and item completed off your to-do list, knowing that you are keeping to a routine you have promised yourself.
The Thinking Machine
In a state of stress or anxiety, our minds often go into turbo overthink mode, a good thing to remember is not to believe everything you think, you are not your thoughts.
Instead try to evolve your thought patterns, self reassurance has helped me through this. Let some thoughts go, but make sure to keep the positive ones.
Finding Your Own Voice
In the jungle of noise that appears in a lot of our busy lives, whether that means hearing other people’s opinions about you or having to cope in a busy environment of work or social situations, the ability to trust your gut and let your own voice shine through is a huge strength. This links back to trust and the self belief you have the ability to develop within yourself.
Mental Health tips I have found to make a world of difference on my own journey to finding my voice:
1) Getting out into nature – walking for me has been a great escape from my interior world, I started to focus on the birds, the way the sunlight would fall onto trees, it got me inspired to paint, this paired with the fresh air and the way the breeze felt, hugely benefited my mental health. (I suggest starting small, a 10 minute walk in nature. Whatever you are happy with)
2) Writing – Poetry or journaling, even just writing a stream of consciousness down on paper with your favourite music playing. This helps to understand yourself more, what your triggers could be, what your passions are in life, through writing I believe them to be recognisable when you read it back.
3) Set your boundaries – The act of saying no can actually add a lot of benefits to your life, it is putting yourself first. This could be saying no to something you’re not comfortable with, in a social setting or when asked to work overtime.
4) Learning a new skill or discovering a hobby – this is something that is massively healthy for progression and evolving as a person, I discovered Knitting a couple of years ago, it helps me not to think so much, using my hands to knit helps me to focus and I also get something to wear afterwards, usually a scarf.
In my personal journey of growth, I have found that often the smallest steps taken to improve your life, contribute the most as a collective to becoming a healthier and happier person.
So start small and remember the key to growing into who you are is already within you so embrace it.
The place I spoke about at the beginning is within you, there is no key to unlock it, you already have it there, I have learned from my personal mental health journey that a way to fully embrace it is to love yourself, for who you stand for and the little things which make you, you.
It is a process, and takes time as all good things should, but gradually these little wins become an overall triumph in the journey of growing into who you are.
“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
— Martin Luther King Jr., Let Nobody Turn Us Around
