DR MARGARET NAKHID-CHATOOR
HAPPY NEW you! Yes. You read correctly. At the start of this new year, consider making you and your mental health a priority. Some of you have made your physical health, your financial stability and all your other responsibilities a priority last year. Let’s put your mental health at the top of the list for 2024.
You alone get to decide what you would like to do with your life. I know that you have heard that before, but what have you done with that thought? What about the nagging wife or husband, the angry mother, the complaining sister, the boss who makes you feel guilty, the jealous spouse, the lazy spouse, the ungrateful children, the overbearing elderly parent, the friends who always feel that they know what to do about your life better than you do…and the list can go on and on.
Why are you still complaining and blaming your anxieties and stress-related symptoms on people’s actions that you have absolutely no control over? Wouldn’t you like to be happy, more than hurt? Make 2024 a happy new you. But how can you do this resolutely and with results?
Choose your response! Did you know that there is a space in-between the other person’s actions or talk and your response? In that space lies your freedom to choose how you will respond, the power to decide what you will do or say, and the ability to clear your mind of negativity towards yourself. Stop saying that you are worthless; that there is no hope or any way out of your situation; that nothing works or will ever work positively for you; that you hate yourself, your life and your circumstances.
Do these responses add value to your life? Are they proactive, towards your growth and betterment, or reactive – same ole same ole, negative, hasty, bitter, blaming, self-piteous, woeful?
1. Set boundaries for yourself. There are certain people you need to remove/delete from your space/social media – those who make your life more miserable and/or those you follow to see how they make other people’s lives a mess? Do they add value to you? If not, delete them. Follow and interact with people who make you smile and laugh, who make you feel good about yourself.
2. Step back for a moment from everything. Think about what makes you happy. What are your dreams? Why are you worried about things that you cannot control? Why have you been replaying negative thoughts and situations over and over and over in your mind, to the point where you cry and feel hopeless? Again. And don’t go there with that suicide thought. Uh-uh. Move that thought aside and away from you. What can you do for you, this year 2024? What new experiences can you add to your life, as small as they may be?
Don’t be too hard on yourself. Make time for you this year. Just a few minutes every day. Set small, attainable goals. If you do not value yourself, neither will the people around you, at home or on the job. Close your eyes. Meditate. Say a prayer. Take a walk. Put down your phone for a few minutes and stop the scrolling. Challenge yourself to do some good, this time for you. Watch a comedy so that you can laugh. Light a candle and deep-breathe. Accept help from those who care about you and who will listen to you – this can strengthen your resilience and increase your ability to manage your anxieties.
This year it is about you this time around. You are important. Your thoughts. Your words. Your actions. Happy New You!
Credit – Newsday Newspaper, (newsday.co.tt)
See the original article here.
