9 Things To Stop To Save Yourself Time, Stress, and Create A Healthy Mind and Body

By: Megan Piersol, DPT

Why 9? I chose 9 as a sort of inside shout out to my brother and as a challenge to myself to think of 9 things I should even stop saying and doing. I am sure there are more than nine things we should stop tormenting ourselves over, but I will keep this short to not overload the brain. Keeping that thought in mind, I will take time to cover three at a time. I want you to think about each blog post and what it means to you and how it might fit into your life. Check back in every three weeks to find new things to think about and implement if you aren’t already. Society makes it hard enough on people, so why should we be so hard on ourselves? It’s time to give yourself a break.

And so we will begin:

Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

We all feel, think, heel, love, want, and need differently. Granted this is all within a common caring goal. Olin Mills stated: ”you probably wouldn’t worry about what people think about you if you could know how seldom they do.” I can’t tell you how many times patients come to me upset because their friend had a similar problem and they healed quicker. No one has the same problem. I repeat, no one has the same problem.  The injury or surgery may be similar but occurred for different reasons. We all come from different places, different experiences, different lifestyles, and different bodies. Until your friend does exactly what you do, has the same thought processes, has lived the same past, experiences the same ups and downs, and moves the same exact way as you, their healing process and recovery will never be comparable to yours. You will never progress if you are always comparing yourself to the next person and not taking the time to focus on your needs and what your body is telling you. No one else will ever learn if you are always trying to be them. How boring would life be if we were all the same?!  Be comfortable in your own skin and become healthier for you not for or because of someone else. 

Don’t Be Afraid to Fail

You will never try if you are always afraid to fail, but you will always regret if you didn’t try. Goals set too high may not always be possible to achieve, but it is the process of trying where you succeed. 

Stop Focusing on the “Can’t” and Work on the Can

You will most likely be surprised at how much you can do and achieve.  You will also probably do something you thought you couldn’t or would have convinced yourself you couldn’t.  Remember the whole don’t be afraid to fail.

I hope I have provided some insight and things to think about. Please check back in three weeks when I will post another 3 things we should stop telling or doing to ourselves.