Knowing your Accomplishments

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When someone I know is having a rough time, it’s very easy for me to be able to give them advice and/or the tools or resources they need to get better (even if it’s just a listening ear). I am not, however, good at taking my own advice.

Coping skills can vary from person to person. A tool that one person may find helpful may be found obtrusive by someone else (for example, smoking). Lately a lot of rough times have been coming my way and so many people have been commenting on my wellness that it’s made me at least try to forget about my troubles. I update my coping skills that are in my WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) toolbox on a weekly basis because I seem to find something new, and/or need to remove something that might not have helped as much as I thought it would.

Personally speaking, one thing I have learned over the past week is that I need to give myself credit. By paying close attention to what you do, you can learn to give yourself credit for even the smallest accomplishments. Each accomplishment will add to your optimism and self-esteem.

Take out a sheet of paper and write down your accomplishments for the day, NO negativity included. Getting up, getting in the shower, brushing your teeth, combing your hair; ALL of those can be accomplishments. Challenge yourself each day to add to that list. Life doesn’t have a list we can follow, but at least we can start to reinforce positivity in our lives slowly and one step at a time by using positive affirmations and accomplishments. Try it. It could be fun!