Mindset
Mindset
Throughout my life, I have struggled with always maintaining a positive mindset. Throughout my twenties, specifically, I have fallen victim to questioning every little aspect of my life. There are so many life changes that we experience during this time: fluctuating friendships, romantic relationships, academics, career aspirations etc. Not to mention, everyone deals with their own personal conflicts that may be far more serious than what I named.
How does one stay mindful and happy when juggling so many stresses? It is all about your mindset!
I put together a "How-To" Guide to show you some tips on how to improve your mindset.
Eliminate thoughts about how others perceive you. The opinions and beliefs of others may only inhibit you from doing what is most important to you. Try and filter out any judgement you think or do receive from those in your surroundings and focus solely on what makes YOU happy.
Meditate. Meditating is a great escape from the stresses of reality. It teaches you to truly focus on your breathing, while remaining mindful of when your thoughts wander. Over time, it allows you to block out external thoughts to solely focus on your breathing. It encourages you to recognize any pain you are feeling, reduces stress levels, allows you connect to reality better, ameliorates your focus, and eliminates your thoughts going in too many directions.
Pick and choose those in your surroundings wisely. With or without realizing it, people become very influenced by those in their immediate circle. Friends and family play a major role in determining your sense of self-worth. For example, if you are constantly surrounded by like-minded individuals who are optimistic and encouraging, then keep them around! However, if those you spend your time do not reflect the lifestlye you want for yourself by being unambitious, negative, and discouraging, you may want to rethink those relationships.
Write 3 things daily that you are grateful for. This may seem cliché, but it works! Recognizing your blessings allows you to take an outsider look into your life, and realize....maybe things aren't so bad!
Set goals for yourself and put them on paper. By writing down your goals, you are legitimizing what you want to accomplish. I'll give you a personal example. I wanted to make sure I walked 10,000 steps a day at least four times a week this summer. I got myself a Fitbit and allowed myself to be accountable for completing this goal . Although this is one platform to maintain your fitness goals, there are plenty of apps out there to put down your goals and ensure they are completed.
Don't try and be someone you are not. We have been told this our whole lives. "Be yourself!" It is actually much harder than it looks. Unfortunately, pretending to be someone you are not for whatever reason never works for many reasons. You were placed on this earth because you have so many amazing qualities that the world needs! As Dr. Seuss says “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”