Over the last couple of years, the theme of self care has been getting more and more attention. People are starting to realize that they can’t be the best versions of themselves if they don’t actively and continuously take care of themselves. We’re so busy trying to get by and make a living (damn economy!) while also trying meet the expectations of others (parents, peers, society, etc.). And on top of that, we also tend to go out of our way to help out everyone around us with whatever they are going through without any hesitation. All of that work and pressure inevitably leaves us drained, tired and spent – emotionally and physically. Something eventually has to give and that can lead to anxiety, depression, sickness and in some cases, suicide.

With that being said, I am glad that we are getting more and more comfortable with talking about these types of things as opposed to just sucking it up and moving on. We are expected to just keep on going without fully addressing our internal issues and that can lead to bigger problems down the road. Sometimes we need professional help and other times we just need to talk to a close friend who will listen. Point being that you have to talk about whatever it is that you are going through instead of bottling up inside (this also includes talking to yourself).

And that leads us to the title of this post, if there is one key takeaway that I would like you to leave with, is to be kind to yourself during this process. In the process of trying to take care of yourself, you will need to ask for help as well as face some difficult truths about yourself. Both of these will be outside of your comfort zone and you may want to give up before you even start. If you are kind to yourself, it can make a substantial difference. When you start looking within and recognize some of your shortcomings or the times you’ve hurt others, you will naturally be overly critical of yourself and view yourself as a bad person/failure. But in those difficult moments of reflection, you have to remember to be kind to yourself. We’re all human and we all fuck up from time to time, all you can do is acknowledge it, pick up the pieces and move forward. Make an effort to be at peace with yourself, and it all begins with being kind to yourself. As always, thanks for reading! 🙂