I need to write more
I need to be leaner
I need to diet better
I need to be more engaged with clients
I need to rest more
I need to be more efficient at work
I need to get higher quality sleep
I need to post more on social media
I need to have more of a social life
I need to work more
HOLY CRAP! I literally laughed out loud to myself after writing all of that down. SHEESH! Okay so what is everything I just listed? It’s the thoughts that arise in my mind when I am functioning from an inefficient mindset FULL of #mentalchatter and ‘should be’s’
Something I’ve struggled with for YEARS is letting go of the fact that I don’t need permission from anyone to not be perfect. Seriously, I remember about 1.5 years ago, at the start of a new job and living in a new town when I was so incredibly engulfed in trying to have all my shit together all of the time that I went to the doctor for a check-up only to see my Blood Pressure was HIGH. I have no clue how this was a surprise to me being that I was on the verge of a mental breakdown…. so of course the flood gates opened and I did indeed have a mental breakdown in front of this poor lady (LOL) where I told her how stressed I was trying to create a new life for myself and be this awesome amazing person I thought I needed to be.
Funny thing… after I released this big ball of stress from my system my Blood Pressure was back down to ideal numbers LOL (funny how stress can do that right!?!) Over the last year and half since that moment, I’ve really learned to tune into my self-compassion and remember that I need permission from no-one but myself to be enough. It’s funny how in this world all we ever see and hear is how much hustle we need, what we should be doing, how we should be looking, but nobody ever stops to say…
hey, you’re actually doing pretty f*cking great just as you are.
But what would happen if we weren’t always striving to be greater, better, leaner, prettier, smarter?!?! Well, what happens is that you stop stressing so damn much and these things happen organically, because you are already doing your best! There are no ‘rules’ to this life besides those that you put upon yourself and you have the choice of what those may be as well as which societal norms and expectations you choose to fulfill. My advice to you is that you only seek to fulfill those things which fulfill you, and in turn, your higher purpose in life.
I know, it’s really damn hard sometimes. Life isn’t always easy, especially when we’re learning to give ourselves permission to be human. I think sometimes we forget what complex creatures we are, I mean scientifically speaking I could give you the complex biological reasons for why we stress the way we do and seek to be so perfect, but that’s beside the point. The point is that it’s completely normal and you need to give yourself permission to feel these things.
Give yourself permission to just do your best.
Permission to feel good about your accomplishments, no matter how small.
Permission to sleep in when you’re exhausted.
Permission to cry when you’re upset.
Permission to not feel bad about eating something not ‘healthy’
Permission to look how you do and not how society tells you to look
Permission to leave work early to take care of yourself
Permission to be frustrated, because life is damn hard.
Give yourself permission to love yourself, not despite your imperfections but because of them.
