Self Improvement From Within

What comes to your mind when you think of self improvement through communication? You might think of yourself delivering a speech or presentation,  using the right tone, speaking at an appropriate pace, or using relevant diction. We work on all of these different skills in Toastmasters. But have you ever thought of how you’re communicating with yourself. Yes! With your own mind. We’re always so caught up with improving our communication skills with others, setting the right tone that appeals to the audience,  and how we appear both physically and mentally in front of others. But  our public figure isn’t the only aspect that needs improvement. Have you ever thought about how you communicate with yourself? What language do you use? Is it compassionate, understanding, and forgiving like you speak with your loved ones? Or is it tough and hurtful?

We spend  about 95% of our time inside our own heads thinking about everything. If I eat an extra indulgent dessert, I feel guilty and speak harshly to myself about why I haven’t been working out lately.  Or if I made a couple of mistakes during a presentation, I mentally distress myself about why I made those mistakes. I should’ve prepared more and spent more time rehearsing. But is it really worth it spending most of our lives thinking negatively and criticizing our every thought and action. I know if we train ourselves to be kinder and more positive, we can improve our quality of life by living happily from the inside out.    

As a pre-medical student interested in specializing in psychiatry, I value mental health and want to raise awareness about its importance on the entire world. The quality of our life has a drastic impact on the quality of our work. A happier inspired person will put in their best effort in changing the world in their own way, whether as a new reporter, artist, teacher, or doctor. 

In the past few months during self isolation and quarantine, there has been a drastic global increase in anxiety and stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although it’s unfortunate, we have a new normal for our routine life consisting of social distancing and lots of masks and sanitizer. With the hope that quarantine wouldn’t last too long, I decided to start a blog that I’ve always wished of creating. I called it The Art of Living. I wanted to comfort myself, as well as other individuals who were going through anxious stressful times because living isn’t simply existing, but it’s living every moment with hope and passion.

So instead of stressing ourselves out even more by blaming ourselves for every thought and action we take, we can be more compassionate with ourselves. Overtime, with practice and consistency we'll automatically become more sympathetic towards ourselves. According to psychology, we might not notice when a thought pops in our head, but every single thought after it is in our control. So take the right action by controlling your mind and saying no to endless negative thinking. 

Give your mind the self-love it needs by being more mindful of your metacognition. Thinking about your own thought process will improve your communication skills within your own mind while nourishing your body with energy, happiness, and motivation.

I read an inspiring quote by a Poet named Rumi. He said raise your words not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers not thunder. Words are so strong, even stronger than actions at times. So why not improve our communication with our own minds by using supporting and loving words with ourselves.

And remember, live beautifully and happily.

Warmly,

N.A.S.