Advice from me, to myself.

Hey lovelies!

I hope you're doing alright. I'm here with another post for the Guardians Column. Today I'll be giving some advice... but to myself. I tend to never really listen to my own advice that I give others. It's kinda hypocritical, I know, I'm quite stubborn. So I decided that today I'll give advice to myself, and hopefully I'll listen to myself this time. But just because I'm talking to myself and these words are directed to me, doesn't mean you can't take any of the advice for yourself.

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❝Don’t beat yourself up or judge yourself just because you don’t accomplish as much or do as well as someone else, because it takes you hours to get into the writing groove, because you have a hard time with something, because you work slower, or because you’re more sensitive to the world. And because you’re more sensitive, be sensitive with yourself.

Be gentle with yourself when it feels like you’re wearing a dark veil over your face and moving through neck-deep mud. Be gentle with yourself when you get distracted easily, thoughts running or pounding in your head. And when you do, close your eyes. Take deep breaths. Put on your headphones. Or get up, and why it all matters. Be gentle with yourself when you don’t feel like doing anything but staying in bed all day long.

Don’t automatically assume that you’ll be terrible at something. Trust in yourself, even though it doesn’t come naturally to you. Listen to your body. Listen to your heart. Take in , but that you know what’s best for you. Don’t be so timid. Speak up. Be heard for once.

Seek wise advice from the many, but draw conclusions from within yourself. Accept that you’ve made poor choices in the past. Don’t punish yourself. Don’t play the “you suck” tape, over and over again. Don’t let what others are doing dictate what you’re doing. Don’t let their thoughts, beliefs, actions become another expectation, another should, another way to pressure, rush and overwhelm yourself. Don’t use it as ammunition for your inner critic.

You're your own worst enemy. Be your own best friend instead. You're probably your own worst critic when it comes to, well, everything. You like to think of yourself as a good friend to others, but you're certainly not one to yourself. Maybe if you put the same level of comion into how you treat yourself as you treat others, you wouldn't always feel so anxious.

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Again, be gentle. Be patient. Sob when you need to sob. Slow down when you feel stressed. Say it’s hard when it’s hard. What you need is what you need. Be curious about these needs. Be curious about yourself.

Respect the fears that drive you, but don’t purposefully give over your time, your energy, your talent, or your trust to any of them.

Go and heal the pain that you are carrying because much of your expectations and fears are derived from hurt that you never want to repeat. It's better to heal that now than later.

Don’t seek validation outside the walls of your bones. You need to know you are enough without a list of approvals beside your name, without your parents or friends or anyone else saying you are enough.

Don't worry so much, things have a way of working out if you just give it a little time. Pause throughout the day and connect with yourself. Try to label your feelings, something more than good or bad, get down to the nitty gritty and you often feel more than one feeling at a time. Don't overthink things and make assumptions based on your mind's imagination. You do that a lot. And above all, mind your own business. That's something you need to work on.

Listen to your intuition, that is the way to build back that trust you lost back then. Understand that the dark times are going to come, but also know that light will return, so don't panic. the stronger your soul, your values, your beliefs, and the better you know yourself, the faster you will come out of that dark place.

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You care too much about what others think, don't worry about that (here is where that pause could come in handy). Try not to judge others or yourself and if you do, step back and ask yourself why you feel the need to do so.

Listen to what your body tells you. Eat when you're hungry. Don't be stubborn and starve yourself. And , it is okay to treat yourself once in a while.

Ask questions and really listen, because everyone needs to be heard. And if someone asks something of you, it is okay to say I don't know, or let me think about it, before you answer. When you do respond, speak from your heart with kindness. Talk about love often and give love both to others and yourself. Apologise when you need to.

that if you enjoy doing something then it is not a waste of time, no matter what others think or say. And also that more is not always better. Pick a few amazing things to fill your life with and give them your full attention. For you, trying to do too many awesome things at the same time only leads to you just sitting there, overwhelmed and not doing anything. If something doesn't feel right, move on.

to be silly, to play, to laugh, to take breaks, to wonder and wander. Life is not an endless list of chores, or tasks, or responsibilities. Celebrate the small stuff. And it’s okay to celebrate yourself. Be grateful and seek joy, every single day. ❞

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That's all I have!

Thank you for reading. I'll try and listen to this, and read through it again whenever I need advice. Maybe you took some advice from this?

This is the advice I would give to myself. What advice would YOU give to yourself?

I hope you have a wonderful day!

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