I turn 29 today! For the past few years on my birthday, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I have grown into myself. I look back on 15, 20, 25 year old Rachel, and I think, WOW. Look how much we are the same, and look how much we have changed. I think that is one of the most beautiful part of getting older- becoming more ourselves.
As I prepare to leave New York City this fall, I’ve been reflecting on the woman I was when I arrived; how amazed she would be at how our life unfolded here. How all of her dreams are coming true, but perhaps in a very different way than she ever could have imagined.
I’ve also been connecting with my inner child in therapy. With that comes pain and healing. I have been asking myself, how can I as an adult show up for my inner Little Rachel? How can I give her the support she didn’t have when she was hurt and lost and scared, now?
Because that lost sad little girl is also still a part of me. As I become more myself, healing with her is part of my journey.
So, as I enter the last year of my 20s, here are 29 things I want to share with my younger self:
Loving yourself is essential, but not easy.
You will never be perfect, and trying to will probably make you unhappy.
Vulnerability is usually uncomfortable and always worth it.
Find healthy ways to feel your feelings.
Find a good therapist and see them. Regularly. If you can’t afford therapy, find another way to work on yourself and heal what you need to heal.
Stay curious.
Hold onto your silliness and sense of play.
Forgiveness is not usually for other people, it’s a release meant for you. Also, forgive yourself more.
Get your finances in order!!!
Find a movement practice that you love and do often.
Setting boundaries is an act of love towards yourself. Trust that.
Showing up is always good enough, even if it’s not at your best.
Learn how to apologize and receive an apology yourself.
Once you experience grief, you will experience love in a different way.
Rest is just as essential as doing things (Read that one again)
Wear sunscreen on your face every day.
Eat what you want to eat.
To that end, bodies are meant to change. Let them. Enjoy the fact that each day you are different from the last.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
Surround yourself with people who lift you higher, not bring you down.
Just because they have lasted a long time, not all relationships are forever.
Hold on tightly, let go lightly.
Cultivate a gratitude practice.
There is magic in the unknown. Linger there.
If you value growth, you also have to value being uncomfortable. Transformation requires tension.
Trust yourself.
Ending something (a job, relationship, etc) does not mean that you have failed. It means you have listened to yourself enough to know it’s time to explore another path.
You have enormously unique gifts to offer the world. Trust that you were put here to share them.
You are not alone. Lean back.
29 years on this earth. What a gift. I am so grateful for the people I have met, the places I have experienced, and the person I have become.
Cheers to continually growing into the most authentic versions of ourselves. And happy birthday to me 🎉
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