Leaning on Yourself for Support

Ways in which you can support yourself when everything feels like a lot.

This week, I am writing about the constant overwhelm we all feel in this fast-paced world and how we can be our support system through this chaos because as a 23-year-old, I can feel it every day, but nobody talks about it. Whenever I talk to my friends or observe people of different age groups who surround me, I notice the same pattern where everyone is chasing “rest” or “retirement”, but to achieve it they completely burden themselves with work in the present. On most days, I am one of those people. 

Delaying joy for when you will achieve certain goals hurts, yet most of us choose to do it daily in our lives. A current desire of mine is to make amends with the idea of rest and the belief that I have to work hard enough each day of my existence to deserve rest. Crazy, right? But many people feel that way, including me. 

Finding and holding on to simple moments of joy..

If you are struggling to cope with how swiftly things are changing in this season of your life, here are some ways you can show up for yourself.

• Never feel guilty for not being able to complete every item on your to-do list. Being a little kinder to your present self can sometimes ease the pressure on a million things you want to achieve in life.

• Make time for little things. Walks, journaling, reading, drawing or something as simple as eating without distraction or brushing your teeth every night. You drain your body and mind much more than you realise every day. Find simple ways to take care of them too.

• Be okay with the idea that you don’t have to do everything every day. Splitting your tasks over days can help ease the burden.

• Stop beating yourself up for not showing up in other people’s lives like you used to. By that, I mean a hundred unread messages from friends on your phone that are still pending a reply or the many plans you had to cancel because you don’t know how to handle the chaos in your life right now. You are not a bad friend, just another human trying to figure out life right now. Do as much as you can and stop feeling guilty for the rest.

• Don’t work too hard and end up missing out on the simple joys in life. This one is easier said than done, and I still struggle to implement it. But I am slowly learning to realise that self-care and ambition can and should go hand-in-hand with one another. You are allowed to give your all on some days, but also allowed to pause and reset on other days. (I struggled to master this balance the most this year, so any tips and tricks would be appreciated :) 

What other ways do you think you can show up for yourself in times of chaos? Comment below.

See you next week! :)