Why the work is worth it

Sometimes, I wonder if my daily habits such as gratitude, journaling and meditations really do make a difference. We all have them, those days where you feel like a lorry has driven over you. The negative thoughts creep in and start to find friends that you thought had moved out long ago. Before you know it, there is so much self-doubt that your eyes are also now seeing a completely different person in the mirror to the one that was standing there yesterday. Did my skin look like this yesterday? Were my jeans this tight? Yes, my friends, this happens, and it’s called life. On these days, I try extra hard to step back and observe, and be gentle and kind to myself. In the beginning this felt a little odd, but, with practice, it’s actually possible to be with yourself on these days and not try to fight it too much. You still need to show up, however, and do the work, because many kinds of external things pull us out of balance — heavy moods, stress and workload. If you let them build, they will take over. Whenever you feel burdened, there is weight (emotional or otherwise) to be shed, and the small, seemingly insignificant things you do every day help to shed this weight and keep you more evenly balanced. Every now and again, the scale tips in either direction. Please know that whatever burden you are carrying, there is always a way to open a door to the best journey of your life, so keep trying.