One thing that I love to do is to be reflective. To me, being reflective is paying attention to how I feel. It is being present. This past summer, I found myself in a weird place. I wanted to be more intuitive and intentional. I wanted to listen to myself. One way that I did this was through journaling. After each day, I would write down things that I am grateful for, what I am looking forward to, and things that I would like to work on personally. It was a great way for me to stay grounded and in the present moment. It was also incredibly therapeutic. Life moves incredibly fast and journaling was one way for me to slow down in time and reflect on how I truly felt. If you start to journal, do not put pressure on yourself to do it every single day. Let your spirit move you to journal. I promise that when your mind needs it, it will lead you to your notebook.
Processing how I felt more has helped me in so many ways. It has helped me in what I spend my time doing. As a classic people pleaser, I found myself doing things to make other people happy, completely neglecting what I feel. In society, we are taught consistently that we have to be selfless. While being selfless is important, you are also important as well. You. It is okay to put yourself and your mental health first. Time and time again, I caught myself saying yes to things I did not want to do. After doing this multiple times on multiple occasions, I would find myself feeling drained. Saying no not only made me feel happier, but also empowered me. It showed me that I have agency and can be in control.
In addition to saying no, I constantly ask myself questions. When presented with many options, it is so easy to just say yes to everything. It is really important to stop and ask yourself why. Do I really want this? Trust me in this. Really ask yourself why you want to do something. In this day and age, our minds are on a constant go. I find myself at times saying yes to opportunities just because. It took me a while to realize it is not enough. When I am presented with an opportunity, I take my time and ask myself if I really want it. Doing this has saved me from participating in things I truly do not want to do. This ties into being intentional. Your time is important. This is something that I am constantly learning and improving on. Going to a big school there are so many opportunities and events to attend. Keeping this in mind, it is so important to remember that you are only one person! Please say no! Do things that fill you with joy and keep your heart and mind fulfilled.
Being reflective in general has helped me so much. When you think about the things you are doing and why, you learn so much more about yourself. Reflectivity and intentionality is the path to self-love. It is doing things for yourself, not others, and realizing that it is okay! Yes, help others! But also, help yourself by trusting your intuition and reflecting on what you truly want.
Can’t get enough of HC UMass Amherst? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, listen to us on Spotify, like us on Facebook, and read our latest Tweets!