Getting back to yourself after weeks, months, or even years of slowly losing your sense of authentic identity is not an easy feat.
As we navigate life, collecting a myriad of both positive and negative experiences along the way, we tend to lose sight of who we are.
This is not to say that we should always keep a tight hold on the older versions of ourselves.
Rather, we should make a continuous effort to stay clear and firm about who we are as we experience all of life’s build-ups, breakdowns, and changes.
A major key to accomplishing this is learning how to prioritize your own happiness. Not sure where to start? Here are 3 ways to get back to yourself by putting your needs first.
Decide what beliefs belong to you.
Too often, we get wrapped up in beliefs that don’t actually belong to us.
What love and relationships should look like; our spirituality and religion; what makes us a woman— all of these things are intensely influenced by the different opinions around us and it’s unhealthy.
So unhealthy that it’s at the core of why we become unhappy individuals in the first place.
If you can’t escape what you’ve conditioned to be and become the authentic self you deeply desire to be, you’re doing yourself a great injustice.
Take a look at all of the ideas and beliefs you align yourself with.
Do you believe them because they truly align with you, or because your friends, parents, pastor, and community said you should?
Be honest with yourself about what belongs to you and what doesn’t, and begin cutting out what’s unnecessarily there.
Learn the art of speaking up.
Audre Lorde once said that your silence will not protect you. Meaning that it’s your responsibility to speak up about the inequalities and mistreatments that alter your quality of life because no one else is going to do it for you.
Not politically; not socially; and certainly not personally, among your own family, friends, and community.
So in order to protect yourself to the best of your individual ability, the least you could do is speak up.
You don’t have to rant, rave, and yell, but you do have to be bold with speaking your truth. This could be as simple as being more vocal about your wants and needs.
And if you’re not yet sold on the idea yet, keep in mind that expressing yourself can make all the difference between living a life where you’re empowered and fulfilled, and one where you are constantly fighting to be respected, nurtured, and heard.
Get back to basics.
We buy books, watch videos, and even seek the advice of gurus and life coaches, all for them to complicate practical advice about self-love and happiness.
The truth is, that both happiness and self-love start with taking care of yourself in the most practical ways.
Eating foods that nourish your body; spending time with people who love you; sticking to the promise you made to yourself to remove your makeup every night before bed—the basic things that we tend to overlook and disregard in life are the things that truly matter.
Going back to basics is the best thing you could do to cultivate happiness in your life because it gives you the opportunity to appreciate the things in your day-to-day.
And if your goal is to truly get back to yourself, why not start with who you are in your every day?
