Check-In with Yourself

Time flies by so fast as adults. We forget ourselves at times. Who are we now? What do we want out of life now? All are important things we may unintentionally bypass due to our busy lives.

When we move through life without reflecting or examining ourselves, we may end up with regrets. Regrets are unavoidable to a certain degree, but they are also opportunities we can learn and change from if we are not where we want to be. We are not suggesting everyone reflect on their lives in every moment or even every day of their lives. Although, it is important to set time aside whether it is twice a year, yearly, or every other year to see if you are still living your life for you. If not, you can brainstorm how to adjust your path accordingly.

In addition, everyone changes as they move through life whether it is from food preferences to life values/priorities. For example, we may be living our current adult lives according to our adolescent values instead of our current values. There is nothing wrong with this, but it may feel a bit off or disconnected from your adult self. The good news is, it is never too late to change.

Living according to our values is never easy, especially if we have minimal experience doing so. Therefore, it is important to start small. For instance, your value may be having a peaceful environment around you, including at work, when your current work environment is toxic. A step towards the goal of finding/being in a non-toxic job environment may include setting healthy, appropriate boundaries at your current job. If they do not respect that and you have the ability/privilege to find another job, then you can start looking for another job, whose values align better with what your own. You can even break these steps into smaller bite size pieces, such as setting a goal to research 5 companies weekly and at least 1 day to review your current resume to make sure it is up to date. This all requires effort and can be extremely tiring on top of a toxic work environment, so it is important to pace yourself with manageable steps to a bigger goal.

At the end of the day, reflecting on our lives allows us to live life to its fullest on our terms. This can result in less regrets, less distress, and more growth as people. If you want some additional mental health support on your life's journey, feel free to  contact us. Stay tuned. The next topic is TBA.

Written by Elena Duong, Psy.D.

Edited by Susanna La, Ph.D.