A couple of weeks ago, I was scrolling through TikTok before bed (like one does) and I’m not sure how I didn’t come across this sooner; Anna Sitar posting a series called “Anna’s Guide to Feeling Better.” So I started watching her whole series on how to be better. Her series started after she got out of a very long (and tough) relationship. She had to learn to move on and be okay, while also not moving on…and not being okay. Once she was at peace with herself and learned to work more on self-care and to enjoy the things she did have in life. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to live the life she’s living: traveling, exploring, ~Bru~… (that’s for another time). Once I was done watching this series, I was realizing that her tips would probably actually help me. So here is what I learned and here is “Sammie’s Guide to Feeling Better”
- Not everything is in my control
This was the first thing I knew I had to do. I worry so much about things I can’t control and I over-worry in general. I was so concerned about how people felt about me or looked at me when in reality the only thing that mattered was what I thought of about myself. When I thought about things I had no control over, it made me so consumed in opinions that didn’t have any impact on me. It made me have opinions about people that they honestly didn’t even have about me. Being out in public and having somebody look at me, I would just wonder what they thought of me. But honestly, I don’t care what they think because it’s out of my control. Letting go of things I can’t control relieved a lot of stress because it made me focus on the things that I could control; my mental health, my appearance, and my relationships.
- Not pushing.
I won’t lie, I’ve always been pushy. And it’s probably because I’m so impatient and I have a fear that people might forget something. But when I became pushy towards people, I was irritated and I ruined so many relationships and friendships just because I was impatient. There is a thin line between making it known that you have high expectations, and being pushy. Some may call it “straight-forward.” When feeling better, I let things come to me naturally and didn’t force anything. Not forcing let me be able to watch things unfold right in front of me and it made me feel so much better because I wasn’t stressed. Being patient is hard for me, but I know it’s what I have to do to relieve stress and anxiety.
- Focusing on relationships that matter to me.
I’m going to be so short and sweet with this one. Focusing on relationships with your family and closest friends is all you need. Knowing you can have a support system to not necessarily fall back on, but to have help along the way is one of the best things that can happen.
- Focusing on myself.
If you made it down this far, this is the one to look out for. To be a better version of yourself and feel better, you need to focus on yourself. There is only one “you” in the world and she needs to be protected at all costs. Focusing on yourself can mean many different things: exercise, health & wellness, relationships, finding what works for you. Focusing on myself was the best thing I ever did for myself. It helped my mental and physical health, and it made me a lot happier a lot more often. It’s really hard to talk about how to help focus on yourself because not even I know exactly one specific thing I did that helped me get to where I am now. If you have the opportunity to focus on yourself and to better your relationship with your body and your mind, it is the greatest pleasure to have in life.
These are some of the things I did. By no means am I saying I am the definition of “perfect,” but when you have the mentality of wanting to feel better, that’s all you need to, in fact, feel better. Do things for yourself, work on relationships, don’t stress, don’t worry.
xoxo,
sammie<3