Welcome, dear reader,
It's easy to criticize or judge ourselves for the mistakes we made or the challenges we faced. Expressing gratitude for your past self is a way of honoring the strength it took to go through your personal journey. As you shift your focus to gratitude, you embrace a positive mindset and invite greater joy and fulfillment into your life.
Give your past self gratitude instead of criticism and judgment. It was psychological labor to go through what you went through. Give yourself gratitude for the way you have held together and gotten yourself through it without having the language or a model to know how to get through it.
Acknowledge the psychological labor you invested during hard times. Whether it was navigating through emotional turmoil, enduring tough circumstances, or simply trying to make sense of confusing situations, it was a lot of effort to keep moving forward.
Instead of dwelling on what could have been done differently, focus on what you did right and the lessons learned along the way. By shifting our mindset from criticism and judgment to appreciation, we foster a sense of kindness towards ourselves, promoting self-love and personal growth.
For example, despite obstacles you have found a way to keep moving forward. Appreciate your strength and resilience. Offer yourself compassion and understanding. Recognize that you did the best you could with the tools and understanding you had at that point in your life.
Journal prompt:
Recall a specific moment or period in your life that was particularly challenging or difficult.
Describe the emotions, circumstances, or obstacles you faced during that time.
Shift your focus from self-criticism to gratitude.
What aspects of your past self's actions or decisions can you appreciate?
How did your past self hold together and get through those tough times without having all the answers or a clear path?
How did your past self's efforts contribute to your growth and personal development?
My response:
The biggest struggle in my life has been healing from my biological parentsโ absence due to substance abuse. I have struggled with my mental health and self-worth as a result. I have had to acknowledge my own addiction.
Navigating through these emotions as a teenager was not an easy task, especially without having the words and tools to understand, as the quote says. I can appreciate that I learned from their behaviors. As a teenager, I began therapy to maneuver through these emotions. I gave myself a head start on the journey I am beginning as a new mother. I am focusing on personal growth so I can be present and available for myself and my child.
Link:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-soft-life-with-saddie-baddies/id1617158823?i=1000582151392