“Growth and healing are a continuous process. While we may want our recovery journey to look linear, always progressing and improving, that is not what reality teaches us. Recovery, even when we see ourselves in great shape for long periods of time, sometimes come with low moments.
Learning how to accept sudden stumbling blocks can be discouraging, but those moments are what builds and crafts what recovery really looks like.”
This is the season of realizing and releasing.
Release what’s causing you anxiety. Accept what’s unknown. Take one moment at a time. Let go of what’s triggering your depression. Realize what’s happening now and appreciate the present moment.
Allow yourself time and space to forgive and move on. What does that look like for you? Even if you are forgiving yourself for holding onto things that hurt you, grant the present you permission to begin the process of transferring past memories into strength and anxiety into ambition.
It’s okay to feel and reflect. Think things through as you realize and release.
Change is scary, but change can be what pushes us in the right direction. If we are to accept new opportunities and challenge our own complacency, we must first welcome change.
There are people, places, and experiences waiting for us to open ourselves to something different than what we are used to. To be able to see ourselves in something better, we can’t be afraid to want something more or try something out of our comfort zone.
We must establish clear boundaries, believe we can thrive, know our limits, and understand our worth to embrace the changes that will allow our lives to reap the benefits of everything we deserve.
Speak up.
Allow your voice to fill the room, especially when matters concern you and your well-being. Ask questions and be present in important conversations.
Don’t be afraid. Don’t fall into the shadows.
You matter and so does your voice and what you have to say. Learn as you grow in your own confidence and assertiveness. If you need something, say something. If something feels off and uncomfortable, let the right person know or find someone who will be helpful to you.
Take care of yourself.
You are important.
Yes, I’ve been rejected.
Yes, I’ve been ghosted.
Yes, I’ve been ignored.
Yes, I’ve been pushed to the side.
Also, yes, I thought because this happened so often I was somehow unlovable, ugly, unworthy of attention or love. I thought I deserved this because something was “wrong” with me and I needed to “fix” myself so others would want me.
25 years and counting and now I know that I am not a reflection of how I was treated, of the countless times I didn’t feel good enough. I know now I am worthy of love, affection, and attention. This does not mean, however, that no one will reject, ghost, or push me to the side; but this does mean that I have the choice to not allow someone else’s behavior to reflect how I see my worth.
My worth and value are intrinsic. No one can take away my worth.
So, if you ever find yourself questioning your worth because of how someone else treated you, STOP. Always remember that you are worthy, enough, valuable, lovable, and beautiful. No one can take those ineffaceable things from you.
The more you learn to love yourself, the easier it will become to not allow other people’s actions to sway how you see everything you already are.
Pushing to a workable perspective means knowing who we are apart from the struggles we face; knowing we are much more than the hardship we experience.
As we progress, we must first declare what we are more than. Whether it’s that one negative thought, that mental health condition, the low self-esteem, or the chronic pain, WE ARE MORE.
We are multifaceted, talented, spectacular warriors that regardless of what we experience, we are still more than and we keep going.
This is what I am more than:
Tell me what you are more than.
See it on The Mighty here.
Using this @riteintherain journal and pen I will write in all types of weathers, in my bad rainy days and good sunny ones, on the days that are challenging, I will write.
Today I will remind myself that I am enough.
Enough on my own without the attention of others.
Enough even when it’s hard to get out of bed.
Enough to eat.
Enough to write.
I will always be enough.
What is something you are working on in terms of feeling fulfilled?
One of the greatest feelings is knowing you are continuously working toward something. Whether professionally or personally, feeling and doing your best is important.
Now that we’ve reflected on struggles vs. things we’re good at that can help us cope, what do we want to work on? What are our next steps to getting to a place where we want to be mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc.?
Reflection
Working on finding worth and value in myself is my main goal for this year. Whether it’s being proud of myself or not taking it personally when things don’t work out the way I planned, I will still know that I have value and worth.
The more I see myself as worthy of success and peace, the easier it will be to realize my intrinsic value.
Affirmation: I am filled with value and worth. I accept and love myself.
For the next 8-days, I will be sharing prompts in my Reflection Card series. Each day will feature one card with a two-part fill-in statement of reflection: the first part being your name and second a reflection/confession.
Approaching the fill-ins are your choice. What you feel you need to reflect and come to terms with, you can place in the blanks. Whether you want to reflect on your mental health, past, present, or goals will guide your responses.
The first card is on struggles. What do you struggle with professionally, emotionally, personally, or spiritually? What do you want to improve?
Be open and honest with yourself about what you struggle with. Coming to terms with your struggles can be tough, but it can also open the door for self-awareness and moving forward.
Be gentle with yourself and your realizations.
My Reflection:
As an adult, coming to terms with my struggles is difficult. For this card, I will confess to struggling to let go and forgive others. Although for some, not being able to forgive or let go affects how they interact with others, for me, it’s the opposite, I blame myself. Ever heard the phrase “Hurt people, hurt people,” for me it’s “hurt people hurt/blame themselves.”
Next steps:
Moving forward in realizing I blame myself for the people that hurt me leaving it hard to forgive, I will work toward healing those wounds within myself. I will be content with not getting an apology and forgiving myself for carrying those burdens.
I will move forward with peace.
I will begin to let the pain go. Let it disappear. I will not carry this around anymore.
There is no shame in asking for help when needed.
While we often believe we can accomplish everything on our own, help is often necessary to get where we want to go. Whether we get help for personal or professional reasons, the help will allow us the resources and knowledge to push past our obstacles!
Asking for help is one of the most fundamental ways to get ahead, but due to the type of help sometimes it’s difficult to reach out and get the assistance we need.
Here are some helpful tips to consider when asking for help:
