Sometimes it helps to break down your goal into small, manageable chunks with actionable steps. And unless you have a clear vision in mind, you may want to take your time getting to where you want to be. I remember how lost and confused I felt after graduating high school. I wasn’t sure what to do next in life, but I knew I didn’t want to stay home doing nothing. This led me to enroll into community college. At the time, I thought I wanted a career in childcare, so that’s what I went with during my first year. I’m grateful that my parents were able to help me get into community college, and looking back now, I remember still feeling a little lost with what kind of career I wanted even when I was in school. If this is how you feel with whatever your situation is, then that’s okay.
So if you’ve already decluttered your wardrobe and want to start shopping less, my best advice is to understand and stick to your plan. People always say to start small, and while I agree with that, you also need to be strict with yourself at first. This’ll help set up those boundaries and distinctions of which behaviors seem right or wrong to you. For example, if you’re looking to minimize the amount of shopping trips you take, only write down what is essential for you before you go out. If you don’t know what is essential to you and your lifestyle [in the instance of clothing], what you could do is pick out 5 or 6 pieces of clothing that you turn to the most. This’ll help you find out what your core style is, and from there, you can mindfully declutter the rest.
My next tip for shopping less is not only to know your style and what’s essential, but to also be mindful of sales, clearance deals and your current mental/emotional state. It’s easy to shop for things out of impulse, or to get swept up in a “good bargain” just because of that reduced price or because it looks cute. Now this doesn’t mean you can’t shop the sales at all, but if you get easily tempted by those good deals the same way someone might get tempted to buy sweets from a grocery store on an empty stomach, then perhaps it’s better to skip out and wait until you have a better sense of clarity the next day.
Backing up to a point I made earlier, I do believe it’s important to keep some established boundaries in place early on until we have an innate understanding of them. I remember when I first started out on my health journey last year. I was very strict about not having any sugar, but as time went on, I would gradually loosen up on that rule because I understood it well. This meant that after 2 weeks or so of sticking to my “rules”, I could reward myself with a piece of chocolate or some other salty snack. Now of course, I’m not saying this as a means of deprivation; it’s okay to enjoy those sweet or savory treats in moderation. I’m also not a professional dietitian, so please, talk to your doctor before you take my word on any of this.
I remember some of the mistakes I made early on or midway into these changes that I made. Try to remember that it’s okay to make mistakes, and if you fail, it’s not the end of the world. This is something that I’ve experienced a couple times, and if you beat yourself up or become frustrated with yourself in the process, the only thing that will change is your mood and self-esteem. None of us are perfect, and perfection is unattainable. I hope this information and encouragement is helpful to you in some way!
No comments:
Post a Comment