1287: 3 permission slips for living in a wonky a** world
TL;DR, if the best you're doing is surviving right now, you're doing a damn good job.
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers, and a very happy Wednesday to you. It is hump day. We are nearly halfway through the week. And if you are riding the struggle bus or if things are feeling a bit hard at the moment, this one is for you. So it does not take a genius to figure out right now that the world feels a bit like a shit show. And that's not to mention, you know, we've got everything going on globally, but we've also got busy lives where we are regularly dealing with hope and heartbreak. And it can be simply exhausting, and I don't think we give ourselves credit for that. It is so easy to get to the end of the day to spend a bunch of time doom scrolling and thinking about all the things we didn't do, and we automatically start beating ourselves up or pledging to be, improved version of ourselves tomorrow.
But the reality is sometimes it takes all of our effort to survive. Sometimes we simply have to be in maintenance mode. And for each of us, there is time for striving, and there's also time for surviving. And maybe a lot of the time, we're living with one foot in one and one foot in the other. But today, I just wanted to give you permission to take some things off your plate. So permission slip number one. You do not always have to be your best self, and you don't always have to be improving. Sometimes the most courageous thing can be getting through and not trying to optimize everything.
Sometimes we just need to preserve our energy as much as we can, knowing things are harder than usual. Things might be taking a lot more out of us than usual, and that doesn't make you a lazy person. Permission step number two. It is okay to be grumpy and really pissed off, and it is okay to be unproductively grumpy and pissed off. I know we're seeing a lot out there about kind of putting your rage into good causes, and I think there is absolutely need for that. But you are also allowed to metaphorically stamp your feet in the puddle and say this is a shit show and let yourself be there for a while. Now the important thing here is not to set up camp and live there, but I do think it is important to give ourselves time to feel the things. If you've been around here a while, you will know that I am absolutely against good vibes only and toxic positivity because I don't think suppressing that stuff does us any good.
It can also mean that we belittle what we go through, and I don't think that helps either. On the other hand, though, if you are feeling quite numb to everything, that is okay too. Let's not add on our shoulders guilt about not feeling a certain way. We all react to things differently, and it's also okay to be selective about what things we consume right now and who we surround ourselves with. And permission step number three, keep finding the tiny joys. I am a huge believer that joy is a massive act of rebellion. And I think in many ways, one of the most rebellious and courageous things we can do is find ways to keep our own lights lit and keep finding beauty in the world. The really good byproduct of that is that joy tends to be contagious, so that is a way of making a difference.
But I just really wanna emphasize here, it is finding the tiny joyful things for yourself first and letting the byproduct occur naturally. If this is one you do struggle with and you struggle to do things just for yourself, it may be worth focusing on the spreading joy and the sharing joy because that's the way you're gonna get it too. So if that is how you need to do it and that's how you access hope, then go for it. So that is my pep talk for today. Three permission slips for living in a wonky ass world. Keep going. You're doing better than you think. And if, quote, all you can do is survive, you are doing a fucking good job. See you tomorrow.
Transcription provided by Castmagic.io
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A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women.
If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you.
Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines
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