4 Ways to Validate Yourself
Improving Ourselves, One Step at a Time
Validation encompasses many things, whether it is understanding or accepting ourselves for what we really are.
Validating ourselves does not necessarily mean that we approve or agree on the things we did back then. It just means that whatever had happened was just simply something we felt we had to do, with the information we best knew at the time.
There are many instances in our lives where we seek to do what seems to be the most justified cause of action. However, new information constantly surfaces, reflecting a truer and wider scope of the situation. It surprises us, and it takes us off-guard.
While validating oneself is not easy, here are some suggestions on how to increase our levels of validation.
1. Be Grounded to the Present
It’s not always easy to keep ourselves satiated in the present moment. When we’re walking down the road, our mind is often on auto-pilot, where we reflect on our past experiences or ruminate about emerging deadlines.
Instead, being in the present means being highly attentive to your immediate surroundings. If you can keep yourself in the present tense, then more of your brain reserves can be optimized to think more clearly.
2. Engage in Honest Reflection
Reflecting on our circumstances is not always easy either. We sometimes have a skewed perception of our own selves and have to rely on a combination of guesswork and feedback to get a better idea of how we seem to others.
If we did something that was universally panned, then perhaps it was an opportunity to consider why all those people said what they said. It doesn’t mean that you’re a bad person, as it was just a learning opportunity to understand the world a little better.
3. Use History to Validate Future Tasks
Sometimes, we have specific kinds of thoughts or ideas that fall under a similar pattern to something we did in the past. We can remind ourselves of those prior instances, and we can use that to remind ourselves to keep going.
For example, if you’re unsure that you are capable of doing something remarkable, just remember all those past instances where did something similar and succeeded. You can even write out all these successes and look at prebiotically, especially when uncertainty is on the horizon.
4. Normalize the Behaviour
Oftentimes, we severely misjudge ourselves and think ourselves to be abnormal. However, having emotions is a part of what makes us human. Just like any other person, you’ve had your ups and downs.
If you have the capacity to validate others, then you are just as worthy to self-validate yourself as well. Perhaps it’s easier if you pretended you were someone else and then validated yourself as if you were your best friend.
While it’s easy to look back and regret our decisions, taking the time to self-reflect and moving on to new pursuits might prove to be fruitful. When we flex those creative thinking skills, we establish a greater sense of accomplishment.
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