1. Comparing myself to other people
Getting into the comparing game serves us nothing. I know that. And yet, I struggle with it often. I have this terrible habit of comparing my life to those perfect Instagram posts of people my age partying in Switzerland with their picture-perfect outfits and accessories. It’s not healthy to compare ourselves to people’s perfect Instagram shots. It’s like measuring our lives with someone’s perfectly edited and glittery shot—deceptive and unrealistic. No matter where we are in life, comparing ourselves to others is just not fair. We are doing ourselves a huge disservice. The only comparison we should have is with ourselves.
2. Being content with how my body looks
Society conditions women from birth to constantly focus on their appearance, which can be exhausting. Even at 31, I often get caught up in obsessing over my appearance. Whenever I look in the mirror, all I see is my big nose, acne-prone skin, crooked teeth, and skinny body, and the list keeps getting longer. Being a woman is so exhausting. This reminds me of a quote by Susan Sontag: “ Society’s scrutiny of the body often works to undermine women’s sense of self-worth and autonomy, making them prisoners of appearance.”
3. Accepting my imperfect, oily, acne-prone skin.
I constantly struggle with this, especially when I see the “how to have a glass skin” monologues everywhere. I am sick and tired of it. Even though I know glass skin is fake, unrealistic and unattainable, I still find myself giving into the genius marketing tactics of buying more skincare in the hopes that one day my skin will be glass-looking. But the main question remains: why do we want to look like glass? Glass skin reminds me of the creepy porcelain doll that may have a beautiful finish but is kept on a shelf to collect dust for years. No, thanks!!!
4. Placing my self-worth on goals met.
Ladies! Hear me out. This can be problematic. I have realized that goals are like moving targets, fleeting, and once we achieve them, we move on to the next. That way, I constantly rely on something outside me to fulfill me, which is problematic. Tying my self-worth to things like having 100k followers or making XYZ amount of money from my blog can turn the experience of pursuing my goals into a source of stress rather than a fulfilling part of my life.
5. Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable and accepting that life is one big grey area.
You’ll never have all the answers, and your life will never be sorted out. Nobody has all the answers to this life. There are no rules to this thing. Life is unpredictable and rarely goes as planned, no matter how perfectly we plan out all the details.
6. Both learning and struggling with how to heal from past stuff
One of the biggest struggles of my life has been figuring out how to deal with the past trauma in my life in the healthiest way. It takes a lot of courage and discipline to bridge this awkward and challenging gap of letting go of bad habits and working to build good habits that boost you up.
7. Struggling with life not turning out how I hoped it would
Every now and then, I find myself grappling with the reality that my life hasn’t unfolded as I once imagined. The goals and timelines I set for myself were so ridiculous. The best advice I ever received was that. Life isn’t about getting to the destination but about enjoying the journey. It’s about savouring each moment and embracing the magic that comes with unexpected twists and turns.
8. Not taking things personally.
“Everything is not about you” is a truth that can be as liberating as it is humbling. It’s like realizing that you’re not the star of every drama, and the world doesn’t revolve around your every move—surprising, I know!
I struggle with this, but now I am slowly learning to embrace that I am not the main character in every story, and that’s fine. So, when things don’t go as I had planned, or someone’s projecting their shit on me, I remember: it’s not all about me. I am NOT the center of the universe, and that’s a good thing!
9. Responding instead of reacting.
I am blessed with little patience. I have this terrible habit of losing my cool, which often leaves me feeling frustrated and drained, especially when I look back and think, “Why did I let that get to me so much?”
It’s not just about losing my cool; it’s about its deeper impact on my relationships and my peace of mind. I constantly remind myself that reacting impulsively only adds to the chaos. What I really want is to pause, take a breath, and respond thoughtfully. But, as they say, old habits die hard; I am trying really really really hard to be more mindful of my interactions with people.
10. Jealousy
I’m on a mission to ditch jealousy. I read somewhere that jealousy is the art of counting the other person’s blessings instead of your own. It’s just my insecurities projected onto others, and that’s seriously bad energy. I’m committed to flipping the script and focusing on my own growth.
11. Lastly, I’m struggling to learn that my 30s are still YOUNG.
It really is!!
We’re all conditioned into thinking that if we haven’t done XYZ by 25 or 30 at the latest, it’s worthless, or we’ve missed out on something, and it can’t be done. That’s simply not true. I never believed in this perspective.
When I was 28, I left a career I had invested in for a decade with a very comfortable salary. I took a chance on myself, took the year off, and dared to build something new from scratch because I trusted my gut that “this just isn’t it.”
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Remember, what is for you will always find its way, and what is not, just smile and let it go. Best of luck to you! We got this 🙂
If you’re comfortable, I want you to treat the comments section as your safe space. tell me what you struggle with. rant. Vent. and hopefully, just getting it out or seeing other people say they know exactly what you’re going through makes things a bit easier to deal with.
Sending you all so much love.
xo
Yachna
Dealing with people’s opinions, maintaining focus, and managing health issues has been challenging, but I’ve made progress and gained financial independence. It’s been a slow mornings with close people around , I’m now in a better place. On a separate note, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading your articles – they’re truly amazing! Keep up the great work!
Maintaining focus is a big one for me too. Slow mornings are so underrated and therapeutic. Thank you for reading and sharing your story. Means a lot 🙂