Everybody’s feeling the pandemic impacting their lives in so many ways. There are those working from home when they are not used to, but others are having to turn their lives upside down in order to make any sense of what is going on. With all this uncertainty there are going to be, naturally, aspects of anxiety and stress. But when we start to let stress into our lives, we can struggle to feel better about ourselves. When we think about the idea of self-care, we have to remember that we need to prioritise ourselves, especially when we are not doing so. And with this in mind, how can you learn to feel better about yourself during a difficult time through simple and effective actions?
Look in the Mirror
Everybody likes the idea of looking good but when we have a low opinion of ourselves, especially during a difficult time, good habits can fall by the wayside. It can mean having a little less appreciation about ourselves. But when we look in the mirror this is when we should learn how to appreciate what is right in front of us. When you learn how to do this, through dressing to become the person you want or learning how to feel better about yourself through mindset, you can feel happy that the person staring back at you from the mirror is going in the right direction. We have to look in the mirror as a starting point. When we finally brave our gaze and look in the mirror, we will understand who we are. But when we look in the mirror and all we see is a fraction of who we used to be staring back at us this is when we have to learn to accept ourselves.
Accepting Yourself
It’s never easy to do this but it’s a crucial aspect of what makes us feel better about ourselves in life. When we learn to accept who we are, this means taking the good and the bad and understanding that we are someone who isn’t perfect. When you learn to accept the good and the bad and understand that you are you and no one else, it can free you up in so many aspects of your life. Accepting yourself doesn’t mean being complacent; it’s about understanding that when everything is mounting against you and you can’t feel that you are going in the right direction, that you give yourself a pass. Accepting where we are is about ensuring we don’t beat ourselves up.
Understanding What Makes Us Feel Good When We Are Stressed
This is a key aspect of self-care. Comfort is something that we deserve to retreat to during times of trouble. Some people find that by immersing themselves in work or other tasks distracts them from what’s going on which has some benefit but it’s about understanding what you can do to help yourself. There is no right or wrong answer. When you feel you’ve got obligations to keep everybody updated through social media or friends to meet and all of these obligations make you want to run away from life as you know it, listen to what will make you feel safe at that moment in time. But you’ve got to learn how to pay attention to what you need. If you recognise an occasion as being supportive or constructive, you should go for it. But if there are things that you feel aren’t helping you, especially if you are hanging around with toxic people, give it a miss.
Learn How to Focus Your Efforts
If we don’t feel good about ourselves we need to re-discover that sense of purpose. When we are so busy we can realise after a while that self-care gradually slips down the pecking order. This is especially true if you work a job that appears to line someone else’s pockets. When we work so hard in the modern world it can always feel like we are running to stand still. And there is no sense of escape. There are people now that due to the pandemic feel that they shouldn’t chase their dream job, which is an unfortunate state of affairs. But it’s so important that you learn how to focus, not just so you can achieve your dreams, but learn to understand the right habits to become a happier version of you in every aspect of your life.
Everybody goes through difficult times and right now people are going through a wide variety of emotions in this confusing time. But if you want to learn how to feel better about yourself, the solutions are surprisingly simple.
