Life is about living it!

VidaLaFierce

Life is all about living it, not merely existing through it.

Now, that may sound like a bold and ridiculous statement, but it’s absolutely true. The modern world (I hate using that phrase, it makes me feel old) is so fast paced now. We’re overloaded with information on a daily basis, work/life balances are becoming more and more unbalanced, communication is instant and persistent to the point where we don’t give ourselves time to exist in our own skin, it’s brutal. Brilliant, advanced and fast paced, but that speed can give us whiplash at times. It can feel like the world is demanding more and more of us every day, to the point where our sense of self can get lost in the blur. Imagine running a marathon, you’d want a rest at the end, right? It’s the same. We get physically tired, so why wouldn’t we get mentally tired too.

Think about it for a second. When was the last time you actually took a little time for yourself where you can’t be interrupted? Where your phone isn’t in your hand or threatening to distract you at any moment? The last time you actually really relaxed, rather than thinking about to-do lists or the next day’s activities? I’m guessing a moment like that without any of those things is difficult to think of, because those things are so ingrained into our lives.

The thing is, life is beautiful. It’s just finding the time to remember that. To remember you’re not just filling out a to-do list every day, you’re a human with experience, passions and feelings that are unique and irreplaceable, yet we’re sometimes made to feel disposable and replaceable. I’ve felt a little like that recently and once you start down that rabbit-warren of darkness, it seems like that moment you’ve taken to consider your position has been an unnecessary delay causing more demands to pile up in the queue, but this doesn’t have to be the case. It’s best summed up as the feeling of “I’m done”.

Yes, we can allow ourselves that moment to realise we need a little me-time or to show ourselves some love. That doesn’t mean cutting yourself off all the time. In fact, far from it! We all know we’re better company when we’re comfortable in our own skin. When you’re at ease, you naturally exude a magnetism – and we’re not just talking potential sexual partners here, it works for everything! Friends, colleagues, everything! Just think for a second about all the people you see day to day who seem to have things easy, who seem to be surrounded by smiles and good fortune. That’s not all down to luck, part of it’s to do with outlook. It’s because people love surrounding themselves with upbeat and positive people as positivity is infectious!

Now, I’m not stupid enough to believe that when you feel dreadful you can flick a switch and suddenly start feeling better, and frankly, if there were a miracle cure for feeling rubbish, we wouldn’t have the mental health crisis that the world is somehow only just getting round to talking about. But what if you could alleviate just a little of it some of the time? Give your head a little rest? Like a vent on a pressure cooker, just let off some of that steam every day, or at least every week and let ourselves take that deep breath we need to just to make sense of everything, wouldn’t that be great? Well, you can. If you just remember how to treat yourself.

Set aside a few minutes every day – And before you say you can’t, don’t even bother. That’s just what the pressures of modern life try to make you believe, that you’re not allowed to stop or something terrible might happen. Don’t worry, it won’t. The truth is, if you were sick – or god forbid, dropped dead – the world would keep turning, your employer would replace you and nothing of any great consequence would happen. It sounds horrible, but it’s true. Nothing is so important it can’t wait a few minutes longer. So take your damn moment (Unless, of course there’s some sort of emergency or dangerous situation making it impossible. I’m not suggesting you suddenly start meditating in front of a moving vehicle or anything.)

But, what you need to remember is…. You’re important! You’re valuable! You’re rather bloody fantastic! Honestly, like the lead character in one of my favourite shows said “In nine hundred years of time and space, I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t important.”

So, schedule a date-night with yourself every once in a while! Once a week, just take some time to regain your equilibrium, remind yourself that you’re pretty awesome, actually and that you’ve totally got this.

Self Care is NOT selfish.

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