You are not failing

You are winning.

During the past several weeks, you may have felt scared, anxious, sad angry or frustrated. This is a hard time for most people. As a result, you may have reacted in ways you don’t like. Maybe you have been snarky with your partner, snapped at your kids or ignored tasks that that are important. It is also possible that in order to get rid of those negative feelings you have turned to alcohol, binged watched multiple tv shows or found other ways to relieve your stress. It’s okay. You are doing the best job you can, and it is vitally important to remind yourself of that fact. Repeat it over and over until you are convinced.

Why? Because although this may be hard to believe, self-criticism is not good for you.

People often tell me, “Lisa, it motivates me”. It may seem that way on the surface but underneath the surface, self-criticism will wear away at your self-esteem until you feel so crummy about yourself that it’s hard to do anything productive.

What’s the alternative? Remember you can always start over. In previous emails and social media posts I have shared strategies to visualize yourself getting back up, or pushing the reset button. Click here to read previous blogs or join us on instagram or YouTube. These images are helpful because they leave the “mistakes” in the past. When you get back up, the goal is to do better. This does not mean that you must make a 100% improvement. A 10% or 20% improvement can also be a victory. Note the improvements, and pat yourself on the back for the victories.

What if you fall again? Put that negative voice on the shelf and turn your back to it. Then move forward towards your next victory. It is not necessary to achieve the same goals as your neighbor, your friend or the person you just noticed on Facebook who seems to be thriving under these conditions. The greatest victory you can have when this is all over would be to stay safe, healthy and win at dusting yourself off and getting back up with no self-criticism.

If you would like help with this or would like some support, feel free to reach out to us.

We are here to be of service to you.  You don’t need to struggle alone.

In the meantime, my team and I will be sending caring thoughts your way and will be cheering you on.