Sunday May 15

Here is a list have compiled of all the things I have learned so far this year, from mental health to fitness. This year I’ve been working on myself for myself and along this journey I have learned the following vital lessons:

1. Stop comparing yourself to others: we often compare ourselves to others based on success, careers, lifestyles, bodies and social status. Start living your life for you – you have this life and no one else’s. This is your life, so live it for you and for you only.
2. Fall forward: learn from every mistake you make. Mistakes are not something to be ashamed of – we’re human and we all make them. Treat them as an opportunity to do better at something and to strive for more.
3. Be present: yesterday and tomorrow do not matter. What matters is today and how you are feeling right now. Got goals? How can you go about reaching them today, not tomorrow or next week?
4. Say goodbye to those who don’t give positive energy: a painful process to do, but by deleting the people or accounts you follow online, this truly does set your mind into a new way of thinking. Only befriend those with pure, positive energy with whom you can be sure to be yourself and not think negatively about yourself.
5. Alone time is vital in self-discovery: embrace loneliness. You are allowed to reinvent yourself within this journey. You don’t need to surround yourself with people 24/7. You need to spend time by yourself to truly begin to heal and to look after yourself.
6. Gratitude really does change your mindset: since practising the art of being thankful for everything in my life every single day, it has changed my mindset into an “abundance mindset”. From there, you can start to look at life as a glass half-full, not half-empty.
7. You are so much more than your body: abs do not define you and eating the lowest-cal item on the menu isn’t going to get you anywhere in life. This is something I have really struggled with, but now I am reaching the point where I can accept my body for what it is, as well as understanding that life is not about what foods you eat and how much exercise you do, but rather the memories you make, the friendships you create and the times you cherish with your loved ones. Your family and friends love you for who you are, not what you look like. Start to look within and be happy with the person you are from the inside out.
8. You can achieve anything you want in life: the world really is your oyster. If you want something, what’s stopping you from getting it? If you manifest that dream and actively work towards it, it will all work out in the end.
9. People pleasing is so last year: do things for you without worrying about what other people think. If you want to start that new hobby that your friends or family bully you for, do it anyway. Do it for yourself, nobody else.
10. Burnout is serious; learn to take rest days: mentally and physically, burnout is the worst feeling. You feel frustrated that you can’t work and feel like a failure. Instead, tune your mind into the positive side – I can give my body and mind the rest it deserves.
11. The only relationship that is yours forever is the one you have with yourself: treat yourself, body and mind, how you would your best friend or sister or mum.
12. Your body is your friend: treat exercise as a celebration of what the body can do instead of a punishment. Rekindle that relationship with exercise and find new ways to enjoy it. Food, too, is something to enjoy! Food doesn’t define you – eat everything and all that you want. Just remember to have moderation and to move your body in some form most days the week. Restriction has no room in your life. Rules are SO last year. Enjoy the meals out and the endless takeouts and ice creams with your friends – that’s a life well-lived, not a life chained to the treadmill and low-cal options.
13. Baby steps: good things take time; nothing happens overnight. Be patient with yourself and remember that everything will align in the end. Work towards your goals but in a sustainable way where you can enjoy the journey.
14. Strive for progress not perfection: oftentimes we think the end goal must look like perfection – a perfect life, a perfect body, a perfect diet. Nothing in this world is perfect, and if it seems that way, it’s probably an illusion, a lie. Be proud of the progress you make each day mentally or within a fitness journey or goal. It’s great that we have high standards, but take a step back from perfectionism.
15. Learn how to enjoy doing nothing: again, accept days off and extra long mornings in bed. We need time to recuperate and recover.
16. Say yes to more opportunities: rip off the band aid and dive into the deep end. Get stuck into the world and enjoy the endless opportunities that life throws at you. Say yes to that date, to that trip away, to that deal you made with business. Just say yes.
17. Friendships come and go: a difficult one, but it is something we have to learn. Not all of the friends we make in high school or even through our lives are going to stick with us until the end. Some are meant to be side stories of our lives until you go your separate ways. It’s hard to deal with losing a friend, on mutual grounds or not, but it’s even harder to deal with toxic friendships or carrying the weight of one that’s not going to last. Allow friendships to dissipate. Over our lifetime, friends come and go and change so fluidly. It’s normal.
18. You aren’t supposed to be good at everything: not one person is a true all-rounder. You can’t be good at a sport you just started doing. Don’t compare yourselves to those people who have been doing it for longer than you. Don’t get frustrated if you honestly cannot do something, like play a musical instrument or draw (as some examples). We weren’t born to be all-rounders. That would be boring and life would be too easy if we were good at everything.
19. Don’t take things seriously & have more fun: this is the last tip I have. Life isn’t supposed to be so serious all the time. Do spontaneous things and enjoy days and nights out with friends. Enjoy all the little moments and create a life for yourself that you once dreamed of having.