Hi everyone! This week, I wanted to write about a crucial topic that many people, including myself, deal with all the time: Being too hard on yourself. With the constant pressure put on people, especially teenagers nowadays, it makes sense as to why it’s easy to get upset over not meeting the high expectations engraved in today’s society. Just the other day, I was in ballet class and unfortunately got too in my own head. I was tired that day, so I was aware that it’d be difficult to perform my best, yet I kept getting frustrated with myself. The frustration gradually built, and all it did was make me upset and cause me to dance even worse.
When dance is supposed to be an escape from external worries, I instead left that 2-hour class unhappy. I realized I needed to relax and take time to reflect on why I started dance in the first place. Also, I needed to remember that ballet is so precise, demanding, and challenging; it’s common for dancers to sometimes have their off days when they’re involved in such a hard sport. The next week, I felt much calmer and happier in class. I danced much better too and regained that joy that motivated me to begin dance.
Coincidentally, this past Saturday, October 10th, was World Mental Health Day in order to raise awareness and serve as a reminder to take care of yourself and/or others who need help. My advice to anyone who struggles with being too hard on yourself sometimes is to know that it’s perfectly normal to have rough days. If you mess up one day or don’t perform as well as usual in something, know that it doesn’t define your ability or character. You can always do better next time, and it’s critical to remind yourself of this because good, hard-working people don't deserve to make themselves feel unhappy.
In the case of a sport or activity, remember why you started doing it in the first place. I also think that if you’re feeling upset, sad, or angry, it can help to get your feelings off your chest and talk to someone you trust. Self-care or doing something simple that makes you happy, such as baking, watching a movie, or hanging out with a friend, is also important. Let me know in the comments if you have any advice/ideas to add or what your favorite self-care activities are to do!
https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-mental-health-day
ReplyDeleteHi Dori. I agree and disagree with this blog. I totally agree that you cannot be too harsh on yourself, and I agree that positive thinking is good. But, if you are too nice to yourself and lie to yourself just to make you feel better, then you are avoiding the harsh truth sometimes. If I am not good enough to make the soccer team, then sometimes I need to self reflect honestly and say I am not good enough, as to identify the problem, and then ask how can I make myself better, rather than avoiding the problem. Still, I enjoyed reading this blog, and agree that your mindset is incredibly important in everything you do.