Make talk therapy a consistent part of your self-care routine, ideally weekly, to articulate your internal state and realize your struggles are not unique. This process helps externalize feelings and provides comfort.
Regularly practice meditation to sit with and get to know difficult emotions, balance emotional highs and lows, and improve your ability to bounce back from lows. This practice clarifies inner workings and can foster creativity.
Express your internal state without fear, whether through journaling, conversation, or with a therapist, to externalize and understand your feelings. This helps you realize your experiences are common and can be liberating.
Cultivate self-compassion by viewing your own flaws and unskillful moments with a sense of humor, perhaps by relabeling yourself as ‘good-ish.’ This provides flexibility and acceptance, rather than punishment.
Give playful names to your difficult inner parts or ’noxious inner tendencies’ (like ‘Tight Tina’) and tell them to relax or step back. This helps you create distance and not be owned by them.
Allow others the dignity of their own discomfort and pain instead of trying to fix their problems, recognizing that sometimes ‘fixing’ isn’t the real solution.
Be willing to show your ‘mess’ and vulnerability in intimate relationships, understanding that it’s an act of faith and crucial for deep connection.
When experiencing anxiety, examine it for underlying unexpressed desires, wishes, or resentments that might be building. Anxiety often signals uncommunicated needs.
Carve out an intentional, dedicated space for your meditation practice, even if small, to help with consistency and set the tone for your day.
Integrate short meditation moments throughout your day, even in unconventional places like a train, to frequently connect with your inner space and breath.
Refrain from expressing anger on social media, as it can lead to negative reinforcement and regret, and doesn’t ‘feed the right wolf.’
Cultivate a capacity for forgiveness and create space for others to learn, even if it means making mistakes, as this is essential for moving forward in society and personal growth.
Follow ‘good news’ social media accounts or watch lighthearted animal videos when feeling low. This provides lightheartedness and makes you feel good.
Appreciate anger as an indicator that something is wrong, but recognize it may not be the most efficient emotion and seek to move beyond it to a more constructive place.
Explore anger to identify the primary emotion it might be covering, often fear, to understand and address the root cause.
Make space for creativity without judgment or expectation of outcome, keeping the creative channel open, as this gesture can foster new ideas.
Ensure your engagement in activism, such as social media posts, is meaningful and authentic, rather than simply responding to external pressure.
Join a community of meditators, such as through an app challenge or live sessions, to cope with anxiety and normalize the experience.
Use guided meditations from apps or other resources to address specific issues like stress, anxiety, sleep, focus, or self-compassion.
Set and use daily meditation reminders to help you stay consistent and on track with your practice.
Be open and honest about your interior life, including struggles, pain, vulnerability, and embarrassment, to help others feel less alone and foster connection.