Sunshine and Tear Drops
Summer has arrived. We are shedding our sweaters, planting flowers, planning vacations and spending time outdoors at pools, and picnics, and sporting events. We wait for summer to arrive each year with anticipation. I will see my friends more and hang out, I will spend time relaxing, going to the beach, concerts, games, cookouts and parties. I will exercise more since I can be outside, eat more healthy, and drink more water. I will get all the things done that I put off the rest of the year. Pretty soon, we find out that we are running around nonstop with a packed schedule and feeling stressed, overwhelmed and unhappy. …and our summer days and sunshine turns to teardrops and frustration.
As a society, we put enormous pressure on ourselves, to be everything, do everything, and do it perfectly. We compare ourselves to others, thinking…if he/she can do it, I should be able to also. We feel the need to be everything to everyone, at the expense of our own physical and mental health. Judging our worth on how much we do, how much we have, and who likes us, we fall into the trap of believing we are never good enough, or have enough.
The first step in changing Sunshine and Teardrops to Sunshine and Smiles is to recognize what you have been doing is not working. When your primary is focus is always what will others think, can I live up to others expectations, are others better than me, resentment builds, frustration sets in and we no longer enjoy our days. How about spending this summer doing something different. Put your needs first….sound selfish?…good, at times we need to be selfish. We need to take care of ourselves, honor our strengths and gifts, surround ourselves with people who build us up and laugh with us. Yes we all have responsibilities that demand our attention, but we have a responsibility to ourselves also, to be the best we can be and to use the gift of life we have been given.
It is not how much you do this summer that is important, It is if what you do makes you feel good, makes you laugh, and makes you excited to wake up the next day.
Angela
