In today’s society mental health issues are more prevalent than ever, and something that has become apparent is that there are millions of people out there who struggle with knowing who they truly are.
Personal identity struggles usually occur when people go through major changes in their life or have something happen which causes them a lot of stress. For example, young people may struggle with their sense of self when they get to secondary school and suddenly have to navigate what they want to do in life whilst trying to ‘fit in’. Older people may battle with knowing their identity as they explore their sexuality or try to find the job that they want to spend the rest of their life in.
Whilst it can seem scary, it is completely normal to have these worries. It’s almost inevitable that everyone is going to have a point in their life when they question who they are, but this doesn’t have to be a bad thing. You can instead turn this into a way to positively change your life.
A great thing to do in order to deal with the stress and sense of being overwhelmed is to practice self-love. This is something that is so important to our mental health. Taking some time out of each day, or each week, to focus on yourself and look after your mind and body can do wonders!
Self-care is all about being a little bit selfish (in a nice way!). It’s about taking a step back from the busy world and doing something for yourself each day. I’m a big fan of Self-Care Sunday, where I dedicate a bigger timeframe (just for me) of pampering!
Self-love can consist of so many different things. One of the classic ways to practice self-care is to meditate or do some yoga. This is particularly great for if you’re going through something stressful because it allows you to take some time to be alone and just breathe.
Meditation in particular focuses on helping you to really sieve through your thoughts, organise your ideas and analyse things in a peaceful and calming way without distractions from the busy world around you. It encourages you to centre your mind, and just gives you that time to think about whatever it is that is troubling you.
Exercise, such as yoga, is another great form of self-love because it releases endorphins that make you feel positive and happy. If you have a lot on your mind, exercise is a great, healthy distraction that can often clear your head and allow you to think better afterwards. It may even help you to be better able to ‘solve’ or tackle whatever it is that is concerning you.
Self-love can also consist of simply doing something that you enjoy. For example, if you love to paint, read or write then you could take some time out of your day to do this! Scheduling time into your busy week to do a hobby can majorly help to elevate your mood and make you feel better both inside and out.
It’s so easy in today’s busy society to get caught up with work or to spend hours on social media and it can be easy to think that you ‘don’t have time’ to do a hobby. However, in reality, all you really need to do is take 30 minutes or an hour out of one day in the week. Sacrifice that time spent watching a TV programme that you don’t even really like, and instead do something you’ve always wanted to try, such as knitting! It’s something that can really help with bringing back that sense of purpose which can sometimes be lost when you start to feel like every day is the same and when you feel like your career, or another aspect of your life, is dominating. Taking time to do something for you, rather than for your boss or anyone else, is a great way to stay true to who you are and get in touch with your personality.
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