Image by Five Minute Journal
Celebrating in the face of a setback might sound absurd, but it might just be our next favorite thing to start doing.
When we talked about setbacks, we wanted to reclaim it into less of a negative connotation (although all feelings that come when we face one are welcome) and turn it into something more productive. By that, we don't mean you have to keep grinding your gears when we know the frustration that comes with setbacks. It's a resolution to stop and listen to what the situation is telling us and heed it.
Frustrations could get out of hand when going through a setback. We admit some moments get the best of us, and there are times where we dig and borrow in our holes— too afraid to try again after suffering blows to our initial plans. Other times, it's simply harder to get out of feeling downbeat or disappointed from not getting what we wanted or having to slow down on what was usually a smooth, easy-going ride. Because of this, try out something new with us: celebrating to help us get through these setbacks. Here's how:
Take note of little milestones.
Image from We Heart It
Our call to make big of the milestones we overlook— this simple act helps us become more aware of the mindful, intentional actions we've done so far in our journey to get to this very moment.
Try to remember some milestones we don't get to celebrate too often: the first time we said yes to movement, the time when we stepped up to a big project (or graciously said no to respect our boundaries.) We can practice being proud of our journeys by celebrating moving out to live alone, signing up to volunteer for causes we're passionate about, and even the time we consistently followed a routine for our better selves! It's all about finding pockets of joy in our journey and being unashamed to say we're proud of those moments that help us get back up. Write them down, take note of dates and feelings and commemorate them with no shame!
Try out self gratitude.
Image by Five Minute Journal
Gratitude exercises are a big hit these days— and for a good reason, too!
Much like taking note of milestones, materializing gratitude by speaking it out or writing them down helps us recount and reflect on our journey so far. However, for this particular practice, we want to shift the focus to you.
Gratitude notes often include lines that allude to what we have gotten in that day or week when we sit down to reflect. We can step that up by being more specific and seeing what we did to get there. For example, we can start with being grateful for having a delicious meal with our loved ones. The way we can take that up a notch is by saying this:
"I'm grateful I was able to nourish my body while sharing and being present in a moment with the people I love."
In that way, by just being more specific and involving ourselves in that line of gratitude, we slowly become more conscious and mindful of what we did to make that moment something to be grateful for. Before we know it, we become more aware of what we do, our actions become more intentional at every front, and we even begin to see others' specific actions that we're grateful for.
Go out of your way.
Image from Edit
While taking a quiet time of the day does the trick for these practices, we can get out of our way to make it seen or heard, even just by ourselves.
Try doing this by marking it in calendars, getting yourself a glass to commemorate them, and being unashamed to celebrate it. Invite a friend or two to celebrate it with you if you see fit! It's a great way to normalize feeling good about the little wins as much as the big ones and a great reminder of the difference in our journeys and stories. It strikes two birds with one stone— not only do we get out of our frustrations, but it's a testament to how beautiful life could be if we choose to look closer and marvel at it without shame.
You can adapt these practices as you see fit or find your way to make them yours. Remember, you don't have to go all out and reject every negative feeling when facing setbacks. In fact, without doing that, we won't be able to practice these! Acknowledge them, recoup, and off you go, Woman in Progress®️!
Thumbnail from Edit and Simply Skin