After many conversations with friends within a WhatsApp group, one friend summed up all of our pearls of wisdom and life advice to five top tips;
1. Drink all the wine
2. Be kind to yourself
3. Order Dominos* (*other pizza providers are available)
4. Know your own awesomeness
5. Get a cleaner”
As a group, we have dealt with a range of life over the last few years. From break-ups, miscarriages, redundancy, promotions, babies, no babies, black tights with navy dresses, purchasing of gifts for mothers-in-law, we’ve had our fair range. But almost all the comfort and words of advice can be boiled down to the five items above. Now, like anything, all things in moderation and more than a few on that list no doubt have health implications. But there are two in particular we as a group find particularly easy to let slip, particularly when the going gets tough.
Be kind to yourself. Know your awesomeness.
When things are challenging or you find yourself unsure of the way ahead, how often do you take a step back to make sure you’re honouring those two points?
Be kind to yourself.
The world is a tough old place and not short of critics. But how often are we our own our biggest critic? Would you speak to someone else the way you speak to yourself? Is the criteria you are judging yourself against fair? Is it criteria you would judge others by or are you being too hard on yourself? What evidence have you got to support the internal beating up? Whilst it’s lovely when others are kind to us, we need to make sure we are giving ourselves the same courtesy. You are listening when you berate yourself. How about being a bit kinder from time to time?
Know your own awesomeness.
This isn’t about being arrogant and boasting about how much better than anyone else you are. But it is about recognising what you offer and not belittling that. If you don’t recognise your strengths, why should anyone else? It’s also about knowing what you are worth and what you will put up with. When our confidence has a wobble or takes off for a mini break, it can be easy to slip down a spiral of not believing in yourself. So be objective, think about what you’ve done – big and small. Something that comes naturally to you should still be celebrated. It’s part of what makes you who you are – awesome.
