Mentioning that you got a good grade on a midterm can provoke the ire of a frustrated roommate or friend, so it can be hard to remember that you’re allowed to be proud of something you’ve done well. It’s important to take a few minutes to reflect on some recent times you felt proud for doing something, and let yourself really feel the satisfaction of your achievement.
Recently, I found myself in a crazy good mood, and I came up with a list of things I was proud to have done in the past month. Some items were silly, such as the weekend I de-clogged a very seriously clogged toilet in my apartment, or the fact that I shaved my legs not once, but twice, during the month of January. Other items were a little bit more serious: I was ecstatic that I made the Dean’s Honors List last quarter, and I was so proud when a relatively new friend told me that she trusted me enough to be a part of her support system.
Not too many people hear that someone is proud of them on a regular basis, so it’s important to remember that you’re allowed to be proud of yourself. It’s totally okay to feel satisfaction over what you’ve done, even if it’s just the small victory of making the perfect breakfast on a Sunday morning. Just take a little bit of time, when you can, to remind yourself that you’ve done some truly great things recently, and that you deserve to feel proud of yourself.