9 TIPS TO HELP YOU BE YOUR BEST SELF THIS YEAR

Photo by Ellieelien on Unsplash

2020 was quite a shit filled year that had a considerable effect on our mental health and our overall wellbeing. Along with the sh*t, 2020 brought some important lessons too which I would be forever grateful for. Like I stated in my 2020 review, 2020 did see me comparing myself to others, being less confident, and all and the fact that we left 2020 behind and we are now in 2021 doesn't mean we will automatically do away with the damage 2020 did to us and our mental health. It would take time to completely recover from the damage 2020 did us and our mental health. Like I said before, I learnt a lot from 2020, the lessons I learnt from 2020 have made me want to improve and become an even better version of myself in 2021 and so I have decided to share some simple yet effective tips that will help you be your best self this year.

STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS

This is such a big one. In a world like this, it can be very easy to compare ourselves to others but in order to bring out the best version of ourselves, we need to stop comparing ourselves to others. In life we only see a small amount of what someone is going through. Someone can look so happy, fulfilled, beautiful and all round amazing but the same person is going through a whole lot. Basically, we see only about 5-10% of what a person is going through and no matter how hard we try, we will never be able to know 100% what someone is going through. Not all that glitters is gold and not everything we see is what it seems like it is. We only know ourselves and what we are going through and the fact that not all is really as perfect as it seems, the fact that everyone has problems regardless of how happy and wonderful they may look, seem or appear is a great reason why you should never compare yourself with others. Also, we are all running different races. Everyone's race is different, everyone's journey is different and everyone's destination is different too so instead of comparing yourself with others, focus on your own race, let yourself know that no one is perfect and let yourself know that you are best being you. 

DECLUTTER OFTEN

Ever heard the phrase "A cluttered environment leads to a cluttered mind?" I can't function properly when there's a clutter be it an environmental clutter, a clutter on my phone, or any clutter at all. Decluttering helps clear the mind and it also help you to be more productive. If you want to be able to think more clearly, be more productive and have a clearer mind, you should definitely give decluttering a try. I declutter my devices (phone & laptop) once every week and it is always super helpful. Decluttering also boosts mental health and I find that I feel better, my mood brightens up and I get all jazzed up when I declutter. Decluttering does wonders for me, my mental health and my overall wellbeing so you should give it a try!

BE YOUR BIGGEST CHEERLEADER, SUPPORT SYSTEM OR WHATEVER YOU WANNA CALL IT

Whether you accept it or not, the most important person in your life is you and if you really want to be the best version of yourself, you have to be your biggest hype man/woman. Success and being the best version of yourself will always seem far fetched if you are your biggest critic. There's nothing wrong with giving yourself constructive criticism but when the only thing you are good at is criticizing yourself then you are subconsciously writing your own death sentence. Be your biggest cheerleader, celebrate your success no matter how little it is. Believe that there is absolutely nothing you cannot do. Being your biggest cheerleader might not be anything near easy but it is possible and if you are looking for ways to be your biggest support system/hype man or woman, positive affirmations can really help you be your biggest cheerleader. 

BE NICE TO PEOPLE

Pretty much everyone is broken. Everyone has something that is bothering them and you being nice to someone can really make that person's day. Believe it or not, there is this sense of fulfillment that comes with being nice to people. When you are nice to people, you open doors for concrete relationships, you will be happier as being nice to people and making other people happy has a way of making you feel happy too. Doing something nice for someone automatically makes you feel better so do your best to spread joy, kindness and cheer everywhere you go! 

TAKE IT EASY ON YOURSELF

Life has it's ups and downs, we can sometimes end up taking things really hard on ourselves, we can end up putting too much pressure on ourselves and all but learning to take it easy on yourself even when the going gets tough can really help improve your overall wellbeing and mental health. Whenever you feel like you aren't doing too much or you aren't performing as expected, instead of beating yourself up, take it easy on yourself, you are doing so much better than you think! 

LEARN TO HAVE FUN 

We only have one life to live so why should we make sadness a part of our daily life when we are supposed to be having as much fun as we can because we never know when we are gonna say goodbye. In my goals for 2021, one of the goals I mentioned was that I wanted to stop taking things too seriously as taking things less seriously will definitely add a little humor and fun in my life. I take things a little too seriously but this year I have started to take things less seriously and be a little more humorous. I also want to up my "NOT GIVING A FUCK GAME". I want to care less about people who only wanna dim my light cos it's shining in their eyes. It's not like I have ever cared about those kind of people, it's just I want to care even less about them. The less I care, the merrier, happier and more fun it'll be.

FOCUS ON THE GOOD IN EVERY SITUATION

As easy as this might sound, this is by far one of the hardest things to actually do. It can be so hard to ignore the bad and just focus on the positives but focusing on the good in every situation does have a way of making the bad seem less important. Deliberately choosing to see and acknowledge the positives in any situation has really helped me. Beautiful things happen when you choose to focus on the positives regardless of how bad the situation is. If you encounter any negative experience this year, try your best to focus on the positives instead of the negatives and you'll realize that there is power in choosing to focus on the positives.

WORK TOWARDS ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS

Creating goals are a thing but goals never come to reality without your efforts. So many people are guilty of creating goals without working towards achieving them (I used to be so good at creating goals without working towards achieving them). If you did set goals at the beginning of this year just like I did, work towards achieving your goals. Your effort counts. Your goals are like dreams, they are heights you are trying to reach and no goal would be achieved by just sitting and folding your arms so get up and put in the effort!

BY ALL MEANS PRACTICE SELF LOVE & CARE

I am a big advocate for self love & self care but I don't practice self care as much as I should. Being an advocate for self care doesn't make a difference unless you actually practice what you preach. Self love and self care is very important. You can't really move mountains if you don't love or care for yourself so this new year, make self love and self care a compulsory thing. 

BONUS TIPS

DO NOT WORRY ABOUT ANYONE'S OPINION

Do whatever you do for yourself. Do whatever you can to make *you* happy. This year, do not do anything to please anyone at the expense of your own happiness. Do everything to make you happy!

AVOID TOXIC PEOPLE

Avoid people or relationships that will harm you or your mental health. This year, your mental health and wellbeing should be your priority so avoid people or relationships that could lead you down the dark path. It can be hard to avoid toxic people. Sometimes a toxic person can be a close family member, a best friend or someone you can't afford to cut out just like that but even if the toxic person in your life is a close/loved one, make sure to avoid them as nothing should be allowed to harm you, your wellbeing or your mental health.

• “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain.

New years are a fresh start. A fresh slate. You have a chance to rewrite your destiny, improve yourself and make this year your best year yet so do not waste that opportunity!

I do hope you enjoyed reading this. What are some tips you are using to help you be your best self this year? Which of my tips would you use? Let me know in the comments.

Until next time,

Ruth xo