DON’T GIVE UP ON YOURSELF – by Adrienne Carlson

ARE YOU BEATING YOURSELF UP?

A glass is either half full or half empty depending on whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist, but the truth is, all of us have a mixture of these extremes.

There are times when we feel really low and end up losing hope and giving up on ourselves. We feel it’s the end of the world if our dreams and aspirations haven’t taken off the way we planned.

Perhaps we have lost a job – a relationship – or even our health.

This is when we begin to believe that we are not capable of anything.

We keep a lot of things all covered up.  Nothing is our fault.  We are entitled to our negatism.  Look what has been done to us.

So we project it out into our lives.  Play the blame game.   It’s our parents, of course, and spouses, evil, controlling people, the government, wars, bad economy – bad relationships. You can add your own to this list.  If all those people and things would just straighten up, our life would be perfect.

None of this blaming works for long.

The anger does not work.  The pessimism comes back. We feel unworthy.

It is hard to remember that the successful person that you are is still inside you.

But even in this state, there a few small things you can do to jump start yourself.

FORGIVE YOURSELF

That’s right.  Right now.  With all your faults, your guilt, your flaws, your pain.  You have heard a lot about forgiveness, but you have forgiven almost everyone except you.  Not a person in the world is as hard on you as you are.

Let’s put it in a different light.  If you had a friend who had gone through what you have, wouldn’t you have compassion?  You’ve had so many disappointments, so many hardships in your life to face and overcome.

Decide today to be your friend. Love your faults. It is a part of you to be embraced, not despised.  Reach out to yourself and excuse all the mistakes you have made.

When you forgive yourself, you are giving yourself a new lease on life, one that you can use to achieve greater heights.

GET OFF THE COUCH.

You’ve already seen two hours of CNN.  Nothing is going to change much.

When life has thrown you a curve, there is a mourning period.

But at some time you have to get moving again.

Small things.

Take a walk.  Call a friend.  Go to the library.  Rinse and repeat.

Baby steps will jump start your getting back into life.

Keep doing something to improve you.

It does not have to be anything out of the ordinary; just staying busy, achieving small victories at work and in your personal life, and broadening your horizons through travel, learning and new experiences count towards improving your outlook and bettering yourself.

SEEK OUT SUPPORT

The support, affection and understanding of loved ones and friends are necessary to bolster and sustain this sense of satisfaction and contentment with our lives. So if you feel like giving up on yourself, spend time with friends and loved one who lift your spirits and make you feel happy and fulfilled. Their support and care help resuscitate your flagging spirits and rejuvenate you again.

CHANGE YOUR THINKING

Negative thoughts have a way of weighing you down, so even if things are not going well for you, continue to stay positive by thinking about where you want to be and how to get there.

Very often, the best way to stay positive is to pick a small task or activity that you know will bring you success, and do it. This serves to boost your confidence and provides you with the courage to pick up the pieces of your life and start anew.

If you’re suffering from a string of relationships gone bad, don’t swear off love again. Instead, just give yourself time to grieve and then move on – life is full of surprises and you want to be ready when they happen.

Know that the most important thing you can do for yourself is to believe in your abilities and respect yourself, no matter what.

If you don’t think you are worthy of your love, how can you expect others to show you affection and respect?

START NOW.  STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP.

Will you?

This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of accelerated online degree . She is working on her Masters in Journalism.

Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson1@gmail.com

photo by wiseacre photo

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