by April Defillo
Everything you’ve ever done in life began as a thought. Our minds are the gateway to everything we can and cannot be. Before starting a new project, we thought of it. To accomplish that last goal, we began by strategizing in our minds. Our thoughts are who we are, what we want from life and where we can go.
Despite our busy lives it’s important to check in with ourselves and evaluate our mental state. We are constantly provided with over stimulation. How often do you take time to just be with yourself? How often do you let go of the mental to do list and make time to simply be. For me, silence is a luxury! Perhaps you can relate. I am always in an active state of planning and thinking. Even in a silent room my mind is racing with so many things I could and should be doing. I’ve found that I need time to just be. Whether a brief moment or an elongated amount of time, having time to spend with myself and check on my well being is a value.
Creating healthy mental habits is an investment in ourselves. We’ve all heard the saying you can’t pour from an empty cup. It starts inside of us. Taking the time to assess how you feel and what you can do to be your best self is a part of that investment.
Investing in yourself mentally will look different for every person. It may mean:
Starting therapy
Finding and doing what makes you feel good
Hiring or asking for help
Delegating tasks or sharing the mental load
Taking proper care of yourself
Saying no
Journaling
Getting uninterrupted time alone
Meditation or yoga
The list is endless. By carving out time to check in with yourself, the hope is you will listen to what you need. Think about the things that will make you happy, make your mental load lighter and plan ways you can implement these things into your life.
Sometimes this isn’t easy. Life has ebbs and flows and sometimes we find ourselves in a fog or just going through the motions. When we find ourselves in those spaces we have to be more diligent about how we invest in ourselves mentally. This may look like forcing ourselves to do things we know we should do but don’t feel like doing. When I am in a rut, I always begin with my outward appearance. I get dressed and do my hair whether I have somewhere to be or not. Then I task myself with doing one thing a day I believe a person in a good mental space would do. This may look like decluttering a part of a room, going for a walk or completing a task I’ve been putting off.
We’ve spent this month investing in ourselves. Hopefully we will take the habits we created throughout this month and use them this year to be the best versions of ourselves. Life will inevitably be busy but hopefully the investments we’ve made in ourselves over the last month will help us to constantly find the balance and tools we need to be happy, productive and successful.
April Defillo has worked in operations for eight years. She is the mom of a toddler. When not chasing him around, she enjoys reading and journaling. She considers herself a life long learner and looks forward to learning and growing throughout these blogs.