Give Yourself Grace

This past couple weeks has been really busy for me and my stress levels have been high. I’ve made mistakes, mixed up dates, and gotten very frustrated with myself. I was talking to my mom about it and she told me to give myself grace. She told me I was only human and humans make mistakes. My mom is one of the smartest people I know and she’s always there to support me. One of her quotes that I’ve really been hanging onto lately is “Give yourself as much grace as you’d give your friends in the same situation.”
I’d never thought much about giving myself grace. As my advisor would always tell me, I’m my own biggest critic. However, I’ve found over the years that that habit hasn’t done me a whole lot of good. Yesterday I was really thinking about what my mom told me. Why don’t we give ourselves as much grace as we give others? Why do we expect ourselves to be perfect? No human is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. (Everyone has those days.) Yes, some mistakes are bigger than others. Some mistakes come with consequences. We face those consequences and we move on. We can not dwell in those mistakes. If you continue to focus on a mistake you made yesterday, last week, or three years ago, you will begin to drown in it. I’ve been there and I promise you it isn’t a fun feeling. However, it’s hard to let go of past mistakes. It’s hard to not think about the “what ifs” and “should’ve beens.” Don’t carry your mistakes around with you. Place them under your feet and use them as stepping stones. Begin to move on from your past mistakes and give yourself a little grace. I know it is much easier said than done.
The next time that things do not go as planned or you make a mistake, remember that you are human. Remember that you can’t be perfect. Forgive yourself like you would forgive your best friend.

Remember to GIVE YOURSELF GRACE,
Kiran