Begin well. End well. Part 2

Many of us are hoping that 2023 will be a much better year.

We all had losses, frustrations, let downs and suffered to varying degrees last year.

And for some of us this lingers…

The struggle, the search for understanding and meaning given our difficulties is essential. We need to acknowledge, to name, to share and to respond to what’s happened, to what continues to happen and even to prepare for future happenings and consider how we can respect and love ourselves in the process.

We are humans and are imperfect by nature. We might want to tell others how faulty they are and we might even try to fix them but they are responsible for themselves and we are responsible for our own thoughts, feelings and behaviour.

We need to represent and assert our position with healthy self talk, with empathic concern and with our truth. We can regulate, respond authentically and agree to disagree. Others may not want to hear us or even understand but at the very least we know that we have tried and we have cared for ourselves in the process.

When we focus on ourselves, we can let go of some of our exasperation and release others to do their own repair work…or not. This self awareness and self regulation gives us the benefit of modulating our emotions, experiencing them and expressing them.

If we practice responding with a feeling rather than reacting from a feeling, we are likely to feel good about ourselves, have more opportunities to relate better with others and to let go of the inevitably annoying interactions that all of us experience in life.

Remember to focus on 3 things you are grateful for every day & 3 things that you are proud of too. We can train our brains to notice more of the good in us, in others and in what is going on around us. This can empower us to express, to regulate and to restore hope, to be less critical and more compassionate. Best wishes.

If you’re stuck?

Let’s talk!