Photo Credit: Tamara Bellis
“There’s two type of people in this world. There’s hammers and there’s nails. You decide which one you want to be.”
Often times, life will come and hit you out of nowhere. You’ll just be doing something normal and all of sudden, you will realize how truly broken you are. You look in the mirror and realize that your smile is not as bright as it used to be. You do not laugh as much anymore. You have completely lost who you were and your purpose. But what got you here? Who hurt you? What tore you apart?
Instead of dwelling on the past, focus on the future. Understand that the person you choose to be right there in that moment will help determine who you will become in the future. Everyone makes mistakes and you can take what you learned from that situation to help mold you into a better person. Sometimes you have to let stuff go. Whatever happened, happened. It can’t be changed, so stressing over it is pointless.
Get rid of all toxic things and/or people. You know exactly why you’re in state that you’re in right now. It’s because of that one specific person who keeps coming in and out of your life taking more and more of you, leaving you feeling empty. Or maybe it’s an event that keeps replaying in your mind that left a dramatic impact on you. Whatever it is that is draining you, LET IT GO! It is not benefitting you so why let it be a relevant part of your life. It will be hard and the process will be long. It may even seem like it’s impossible due to the fact that this process may not be fully successful on the first try. Accept that change doesn’t come overnight, in a week, or even a month but stick to your guns and don’t run back to the things that hurt you! Time is irreplaceable so don’t waste it on bad vibes.
Dedicate at least one day for yourself. If you cannot do a whole day, then make it just an evening. During this time, I advise that you do things that makes you happy. If taking naps takes you to your happy place, then do it. Lay up and binge watch a series that you’ve been interested in on Netflix. Read a book that you have on your shelf. Go get your hair or nails done. Listen to your favorite album on iTunes (my choice would be Lauryn Hills’ “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” album btw).
Keep a journal. This is the safest way for you to vent. If you’re not good with talking about your problems, or just choose not to, use this as an outlet. You could also utilize the journal for tracking your progress. Note how you’re feeling about the situation on a certain day and then in the end you can go back and see how far you have come.
Write “Notes to Self”. Although you can also do this in the journal I talked about above, I believe this will be more effective if you have them on sticky notes. Write down something that will make you feel better and place it in places that you will see them at random times. It could be a reminder about something that you like about yourself or a motivational quote that you stumble across that may have caught your eye. Regardless of what it is, make sure that it touches you in any way possible.
Take care of yourself. This should be self-explanatory. Do not just let yourself go! Utilize facial masks. THEY ARE YOUR FRIEND! Make it a point to squeeze in time to get a workout in at the gym occasionally. Drink water! It is the key to all things great. Beautiful skin, beautiful hair, beautiful nails, beautiful life. Get an adequate amount of rest. The better you look, the better you feel. The better you feel, the easier this process is. The easier the process, the quicker the progress. Get the point?
Moral of the story: do whatever it takes to become a better you. Never let anyone or anything tear you down. If you feel like the world is crashing down on you, take a breather and reevaluate the things you allow to affect you.