What’s In The Box?

It’s a fantastic place to escape reality, but all too often it becomes cluttered with obstacles and excuses that prevent us from truly being ourselves.

One of the things I struggled with was constantly comparing myself to others and using that as an excuse to keep the lid of the box shut. I didn’t want to step out and attempt new things because I thought others could do it better. I’d only mess it up, right?

Through time though I learnt to jump out of the box, but it wasn’t an overnight thing. I still return every now and then, but it’s far easier now to come out of it again. I just promise myself that I can revisit, but for my own sake I’m not allowed to stay there too long.

It’s not always easy to escape the box on your own. It helps to have supportive friends and family who can encourage and motivate you. But even if you don’t have that, it’s not impossible to break free.

1. Know that you are not alone, there are others feeling like this too. It is not uncommon and is actually just part of our survival mechanism.
2. Write a list of all the amazing things that you’ve done, or has happened to you. Post them on a wall where you will see them every day. This is not big headed, these are achievements and should be celebrated.
3. Be kind to yourself. Everyone makes mistakes and experiences setbacks and it’s easy to give ourselves a hard time. Mistakes pass. We are not perfect.
4. Keep in touch with your supportive friends who will encourage and motivate you.
5. Seek out mentorship. Perhaps reach out to someone who has experience and knowledge with self doubt who can offer guidance and support.
6. Be bold and step out of your comfort zone to try new things. This helped me to build confidence and resilience.
7. If you are really struggling, seeking professional help is the right thing to do.

Once you have mastered the great escape and the confines of the box, your story of how you got out is worth writing down and sharing because it will inspire others. And there are magazines out there who are looking for this type of content. You may think it’s not significant, but trust me, it is. And if you can help someone else escape their box through your story, then what could be a better gift to give?

I hope this has inspired you and if, by me writing these observations has helped just one person, then it was worth me writing it down.