I have been looking to improve how I treat myself in 2022; shedding habits and thoughts don’t serve me to come into the best version of myself this year. I’ve been able to find some great advice on where to start and decided to try the “prioritizing yourself” method. I understand that trying to make a change like this is all about practice and forgiveness. Try to keep these new practices in mind and be kind when you catch yourself slipping.
It is a slow process, but I’ve found that talking about this process as “prioritizing yourself’ makes it feel a bit more tangible. From prioritizing, I can approach this line of thinking almost like a schedule or task list. Also, understanding this in positive vocabulary is much more empowering than thinking about it as “stopping bad behavior.” I’ve found five simple ways to start using today to boost yourself.
Ask for Help
When you have too many tasks, don’t know how to do something, or feel a little in the woods, ask for help. It is empowering to seek guidance because you learn and grow.
Stop the Self Hate
Everyone has a hyper-critical voice in their head that emphasizes negative emotions and memories. It is an excellent practice to shun that voice by grounding exercise. By ignoring it, you are pulling yourself up out of a damaging and distracting situation. Try this grounding Countdown exercise: name five things you can see, four you can feel, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste.
What do you need?
Self-awareness is growth. By knowing what you need, you will not be without it. Ask for things, create a comfortable atmosphere, and understand the difference between your boundary and limitation. Accessing this information leads to successful participation in your life.
DONT say yes when you don’t feel like it
Harkening back to the last point, know your boundaries and limitations. By understanding what your comfort zone looks like and what your DO NOT CROSS space is, you can differentiate and decide if you want to participate or not. Do you have a strict 9-5 working policy, or do you have flexibility knowing that you would like the overtime pay? Regardless of those, this point is about making sure you don’t bend to make others comfortable. Prioritizing yourself means putting your needs ahead of others.
Get out of the what-ifs.
There is nothing more limiting than what-ifs. Whether it is the fear of the unknown or the regrets of our past, what-ifs weigh us down from embracing new experiences. By getting rid of that voice or even countering it with positives, we stand a better chance and gain new opportunities.
Prioritizing Yourself with Upkey
Prioritizing yourself isn’t something that usually happens overnight, but it does come down to a single point of deciding that you matter. Once you have that decisive moment that you will be committing to trying harder for yourself, things begin to fall into place. Since adopting this mantra, I have never felt more capable and sure of myself than I have recently.
You should also prioritize yourself by planning for your future. Setting yourself up for success is the best way to be on your own team. Check out Upkey’s new Career Creation Course to get expert career-building advice. It’s full of answers to the most pressing questions from how do I interview successfully to how do I ask for a raise. Let industry-leading experts guide you through creating a better future for yourself.
