I note my progress aloud to remember when I’m feeling down how far I’ve come, how I’ve changed in the ways over the years. Little mantras silence my inner critic with evidence to back it up, I slowly learn the process of being kind to myself. I change my thoughts, I fight old patterns, I inhale and exhale, reminding myself to be grateful in moments of frustration. The more I settle into my feelings instead of bolting away from them into numbness, the more I can process them and understand the parts of me that aren’t all the pretty. Doing the internal work to be a more present, mindful, and better person of myself is difficult but it’s very much worth it.
Kelly Severseike 