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As we ride into the year 2021, it’s important to realize that we’ve been through so much to get here. A pandemic, a financially draining period, time away from your loved ones and so much more. One of the many after-effects of 2020 includes drained mental health.
This is why prioritizing your mental health is of utmost importance this year. And you can only thrive mentally if you take the time to acknowledge and get rid of toxic things affecting your life.
10 Things You Should No Longer Tolerate
- Toxic Relationships
Gone are the times when you had to spend time in an emotionally draining relationship just because you’re too scared of standing up for yourself.
This year, you need to ask yourself if a certain friendship, and/or relationship, is affecting you more than it should. And if these effects are worth destroying your mental health for.
People can be toxic without realizing it, but you need to be the one that puts them in their place. If you think it’s not worth it, try talking to them. Make them realize how their behavior isn’t exactly helpful. And if not, take things in your hands and stop tolerating them.
You can do this by:
- Stop making plans with people that constantly make excuses or always want to do something other than what you suggest
- Stop talking to people who constantly put you down and refuse to acknowledge your accomplishments
- Stop trusting people who constantly lie to you despite being caught in their lie
- Stop loving people who do not encourage you to love yourself
- Self Sabotage
Learn this: You before anyone else! You’re the only person you will have at the end of the day, the only person you can truly count on. So it’s imperative that you take care of yourself.
Sometimes we can be our biggest enemies with our self-destructive behaviors. So you need to stop and reconsider how you’re treating yourself. And this is the year where you ditch the self-sabotaging and treat yourself with the affection you deserve.
Here are some things you should do:
- Stop lying to yourself, it won’t do you any good
- Let go of past mistakes and stop regretting them. They don’t define you anymore
- Stop procrastinating on important things. They’ll only pile up and become too overwhelming in the end
- Stop comparing your progress and your growth to other people. No one is going through what you’re going through, everyone functions differently
- Accept that you’re not perfect and allow yourself room for mistakes
- Try to overcome your fears. Growth is beyond the comfort zone!
- Stop listening to that voice in your head that’s constantly telling you you’re not good enough
- Compromising
Stop settling for anything less than what you think you deserve. You’ve done that for long enough now. This year, don’t be afraid of standing up for yourself.
If you believe your mind is telling you that you deserve better in a certain situation, listen to that intuition because it’s probably coming from a valid place. Don’t be afraid to ask for something when you believe you should.
- Jealousy
Jealousy is a cardinal sin for a reason. It can be destructive to your relationships and your peace of mind.
Both, being jealous and having someone be jealous of you are bad. Try to avoid it at all costs.
However, starting this year you need to start keeping a distance from friends or acquaintances that aren’t happy to see you grow. Jealousy can be extremely toxic to your progress. If someone can’t be happy for you, they don’t have to know about your accomplishments. Better yet, they don’t have to be around you anymore.
- A Career Choice You’re Not Happy With
This is very subjective, and the definition of a bad career choice is different for everyone. But if you’re waking up every day dreading going to work, it might be time to reconsider things and stop simply putting up with them because you have to.
If you’re stuck in a job you don’t feel like you belong in, tolerating a toxic boss, spending years at a job without hopes of growth- you need to do something! Anything you can do to change your circumstances.
Talk to your boss about issues you have, about a rightful promotion that is being delayed, workplace harassment, or another workplace problem that you’re silently dealing with.
You don’t want to wake up years from now regretting not doing anything about working in a job you hate.
- Sleep Deprivation
Depriving yourself of sleep is not only detrimental to your mental health but it’s just plain bad for your physical health too.
If you have a habit of compromising on your sleep and functioning on the bare minimum hours of sleep, just stop. You’re not doing yourself any favor by jeopardizing your health like this.
Prioritize your well-being, go to bed early and sleep well.
- The Desire To Constantly Make Others Happy
Once you get into the vicious cycle of wanting to make others happy, it’s not too long before you start doing it at the expense of your own happiness.
This year, tell yourself to stop and take a break from constantly wanting to satisfy everyone else’s needs. Learn to say no when you have to, for your own sake.
When you’re in the habit of constantly putting your own self at stake for others, people quickly start taking it for granted. In the end, it’s you who keeps giving to others and ends up empty.
And let it be known that a lot of these people might not do the same for you when the time comes. So save yourself the disappointment and learn to say no.
- Holding Back Something You Want To Say
If you feel like you’re constantly biting your tongue and not saying something you want to say, let this be the year that you stop doing that.
It can be increasingly suffocating when you’re constantly holding back things inside, without saying them. They’ll turn into bigger problems than they are, and that’s the last thing you want.
Instead, take the opportunity and learn to live your truth. Find a way to say what you want to say, it will be okay.
- Lack Of Intimacy
If you’ve been with someone for a long time now, see where you stand in your relationship. If your relationship isn’t fulfilling your needs physically or mentally, don’t be afraid of asking for what you want.
There is no point in tolerating a mediocre relationship for the sake of it. Talk to your partner, discuss your needs and find a way to provide for each other.
This includes physical intimacy. If you feel like your relationship lacks something, or isn’t as fulfilling for you as you need it to be, talk about it. And if you feel like there is nothing to resolve there, don’t be afraid of making a change for your own sake.
- Physical Or Emotional Abuse
Abuse shouldn’t be tolerated under any circumstances. Let this be the year that you stop tolerating abuse of any kind. Be it physical, emotional, or mental, or whatever, speak up about it.
You’re only weak if you believe yourself to be. Everyone is capable of finding untapped strength within themselves if they dare to search for it. Trust yourself! You have it in you to handle whatever life throws your way.
No matter how difficult it may seem, you need to find the strength to get out of an abusive situation before you regret spending any more time silently tolerating things.
5 things you might be tolerating
- Unhealthy life choices
- Overworking yourself for a reward less than what you deserve
- Depending on someone
- Being taken advantage of by friends or family
- Body shaming
Conclusion
In surmise, this year is as good as any to take your life by the reigns and make some healthy choices. For both your physical and mental well-being.
Don’t be afraid of change, it might be difficult at first but it will all work out for the better in the end. Just don’t spend too long in compromising situations just so you have to wake up one day and realize you’ve wasted most of your life away tolerating things you didn’t have to.
Your journey towards happiness and joy starts now!
Good luck!
