You say you’re fine, but your weary eyes say otherwise.
You say you can do it, but your body refuses to move forward.
You say that you are strong, but you are struggling to make the next move.
It’s okay. Let the pain out of your soul. Let the sadness wash over you until it no longer exists. Let yourself feel whatever you are going through. I don’t know if you know this, but it is okay not to be okay.
You are trying to pretend that you have it all under control, but your eyes reveal the real you. Your face looks like you are about to burst into tears. Your heart beats faster because you are afraid that the world might see how vulnerable you are.
If you are someone who is feeling exhausted and, on the verge of burning out, please, stop doing these 5 things and focus on your mental health. You are the only one who can help yourself.
1. Stop focusing on things that are not your priorities. Your energy is limited. As much as we like to believe that we are capable of everything, all of us have an expiration date. This means that we have to be wiser about who we let into our lives and how we spend our energy. If you are struggling, this is a big red flag that you are not taking care of yourself the way you should.
2. Stop comparing your life to anyone else’s. More importantly, stop comparing your struggle to anyone else’s. The pain that you are going through has nothing to do with the pain other’s deal with. You don’t know their journey. You don’t how much they’ve bled. You know nothing that your own path. So, please follow it and make sure you are on the right one.
3. Stop pushing yourself thinking that that is the only way you will make it. Stop forcing yourself to keep moving on when it is more than obvious that you haven’t got the strength to make it. Just give yourself that break already. Telling yourself that feeling exhausted is a weakness and convincing yourself that you are not tired won’t help you get back on your feet. Rest and compassion will. Stop what you are doing and focus on your wellbeing first.
4. Stop expecting yourself to do the same things you once could. You are not the same person you once were. Maybe there was a time when you were more productive and energetic than now, but that doesn’t mean that you can give the same amount of energy right now. I am not going to try and sugarcoat it for you. Time passes and people change. There is nothing wrong in that. If you cannot enjoy the same things that you once did, don’t force yourself. Work with the way things are instead of resisting them.
5. Stop reminding yourself that you have to keep up with everyone. Don’t compare yourself to others when you are working on yourself. Stop living in the constant bubble of comparison and accept the fact that each and every one of us grows in their own time and at their own pace. Wherever you are now, make sure you are there fully. Accept your journey. Learn from it. Let it change you. And then when you are ready enough, rise to the highs.
