In The New Year, Treat Your Heart Gently 

In the new year, try not to stick to a timeline. It’s healthy to set goals for yourself — but don’t beat yourself up when you aren’t able to accomplish them as quickly as you hoped. Don’t feel like a failure when your journey is taking a little bit longer than you originally planned. Remember, you can’t control whether you’re going to get rewarded for all your hard work. The only thing you can control is the work itself, so focus on the activity instead of the outcome.

In the new year, try not to turn your aspirations into a competition. Try not to compare yourself to the other people your age, the people who graduated alongside you, the people in the same field as you. Everyone moves forward at their own pace, so you can’t fault yourself for ‘falling behind.’ You’re not in a race. You’re not in last place. You’re not a failure. You’re doing your best and that’s all you can ask of yourself.

In the new year, try to see the beauty deep within yourself. Whenever someone hurts your feelings or breaks your heart, try not to assume you were the one to blame. Try not to assume they walked away because you were lacking something. Some people simply don’t fit together. Some relationships are built to be temporary. Even if someone else was unable to see your strengths, that doesn’t mean you should see yourself through their eyes. Don’t let their ignorance ruin your confidence.

In the new year, try to speak to yourself respectfully. Try not to tear yourself apart whenever the smallest thing goes wrong. Try not to call yourself stupid and ugly and awkward. Try to develop a kinder, healthier relationship with yourself. Try to stop caring so much about what everyone around you thinks and work on the way you view yourself. Try to love who you are at your core.

In the new year, try to give yourself permission to really feel your feelings. Try not to assume you’re overreacting or blowing things out of proportion when you’re upset. Try to understand your emotions are valid. You are allowed to be sad, happy, annoyed, bitter, or any combination of feelings. You have a right to your thoughts and opinions. You don’t have to silence yourself for anyone.

In the new year, try to foster a positive attitude. Try to treat yourself with kindness, even when you’re at your lowest. Try to count your strengths instead of focusing on your weaknesses. Try to remember you’re a wonderful, beautiful person even in the moments when you feel like the opposite. Try to go easy on yourself.

As 2020 comes to a close and 2021 begins, don’t be so hard on yourself for the things you failed to accomplish, for the regrets you accumulated, for the lessons you were forced to learn. Try to focus on the positive in yourself, the same way you focus on the positive in your family and friends. You give them so much love — and it’s time to give yourself some love, too.