Alright I’m a little late to the New Year party. Last year I remember starting the year off slightly preachy so this year I thought I’d start by doing some reflecting. I’m sure it’ll turn preachy at some point but why don’t we wait to be surprised. Alright so 2017! What a year. Now I’m not someone who tries to be negative and pessimistic about a year but holy was 2017 a rough year. Of course everyone has their challenges and perhaps mine aren’t as big as someone else’s but they were there so I figured hey let’s talk about them:
- I got a job as a psychologist. Okay most people respond with “omg cool!”, “you probably get to witness so much cool stuff”, etc. etc. I’ll also get the occasional tmi from people I don’t even know just because they think I can diagnose them or problem solve their situation. In any case, wow was I overwhelmed; yes I went to school for this but it’s a whole other ball game when you’re the one in charge and basically the adult in the room (*how do I unsubscribe from adulthood- lemme know*). Anyways I realized with all the challenges involved that I was just not ready for it. I learned a lot not only about my field of work but of my own shortcomings as a therapist and I continue this year to work on finding myself and the right fit for work where I am able to grow while feeling supported.
- Alright this one has to do with people I met, grew close to as well as grew apart from. The year taught me a lot about relationships and I don’t just mean that in a romantic sense but also in a general sense. So you always hear that to make any kind of friendship, relationship or interaction work there has to be an effort made. Seems pretty straight forward. Well what we are never told is how much effort is too much effort- of course we find out in pretty crappy ways that we tried too hard. Usually this means that the interaction fizzles out or becomes toxic enough that it becomes hard to fix. Well I had many such interactions in the past year and as frustrating as it was for myself and probably the others involved at the time, they became important learning experiences. I learned that a.) if you have a problem with someone say it b.) if they don’t understand why you have a problem with them, drop it and c.) don’t wait and expect that it will eventually be fixed- move on! The past year taught me that the point any interaction makes you feel unlike yourself it can’t be good for you or that other person. Leave it and move on.
- Well stress got the best of me in so many ways, I stopped doing a lot of things that were important to me. Of course I work with my clients on how they can work on self care but somehow I forgot about my own. Always easier said than done. I found myself completely put things that were important to me like dance, working out, and even my blogging on the back burner. This impacted me in more ways than I anticipated. Emotionally I was sensitive, physically I was exhausted and mentally I was not myself. It took some sitting back and reflecting to realize that all the stuff I had stopped doing actually had an impact on me staying motivated and relevant in my own world. The first step in the right direction was realizing the impact that this change had on me.
When I look back at 2017 I don’t look back with regret but rather I look back with gratitude; I look back with a hopeful perspective that 2018 will include the learning of the past year as well as the continuous growth of myself as an individual. I don’t look at this year as a year to solve all of the shortcomings I witnessed with myself last year, but I look at this year as another chance to work towards being more content with myself and my world. Cheers to 2018!
❤ sharmz
From Neha's Closet 