We all have our ups and lows in life and it's the lows that force us to become better. At least this is what I firmly believe. Two years ago I was overwhelmed, suffering from depression and mental exhaustion. One day, a friend of mine told me I had to take a break from everything and “reset” myself.
So I took a week off my life and went on a holiday at a farm. While there, I had the chance to meet wonderful women who taught me how to love myself and how to really be happy.
We grow up in a society that encourages us to compare with other people. Unfortunately, this is unfair. What if the girl next door is skinnier than you? What if you can't skate? You can do other things, because you are you, not someone else. Stop comparing yourself to other people and start embracing who you really are. As soon as you do this you will feel free and you will be able to enjoy life to a whole new level.
As we grow older we try to be perfect and this puts a lot of pressure on us. Not allowing yourself to make mistakes and punishing yourself for every failure is a sure way to reach exhaustion. Being a perfectionist is hard and is not productive. We learn from mistakes, so we have to make them in order to learn how to be a better person. Of course, this doesn't mean you should become ignorant and keep failing, but do allow yourself the luxury to make a mistake from time to time.
When you feel drained you need to examine your life and the people in it, because you might have a toxic person around you. It might be your partner, your friend, a work colleague, anyone. Identify the toxic person and make sure you remove them from your life. It might be hard, but it is the only way to free yourself from a negative energy. I know many women who continue to stay with toxic partners, knowing very well that they have a bad influence on them. They do it because they love them, so they don't want to end the relationship. It's hard to end any relationship, but your own mental health is more important, so get rid of the toxic people in your life.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger and this is very true. During my stay at the farm I learned that my anxiety came from my fear of being alone. When I realized this, I took a leap of confidence and I spent some time on my own. Just me, alone. I confronted my fear of being alone, of not having someone to talk to. At first it was horrible, but I soon got used to it and I noticed how my anxiety fade out, day by day. Ladies, confront your fears! This is going to help you learn a lot about who you really are and how strong you are. Plus, you will feel a lot more confident afterwards.
When was the last time you did something just for you? I bet you can't even remember. We are used to do things because we have to or for someone else. This is good, but from time to time you have to do something for yourself. Treat yourself with a massage or wear your most expensive, sexiest lingerie just for you, just to feel good about it.
I've always thought I am good at my job, but during my week of self-introspection I realized I am great with kids, but I had no idea about it. When I found out that I excel at this I felt really, really good about myself.
Life is not (only) about paying the bills and getting married; life is about enjoying yourself and the people around you, but in order to do this you must learn how to love yourself.
After dealing with depression and losing my entire life I discovered the really important things in life. Stay around and you will get to read about them, as I try to inspire others to really LIVE!