Opinion

How to be Authentic and Stay True to Yourself

Over the past year, many people have had more thinking time than ever before. All this extra time spent at home and away from the people you care about may have got you thinking about life differently. The 2021 Mindset Shift Report shows that many people are thinking about their priorities and the things they are planning to do once the pandemic is over. 

It is only natural to want to reassess your life after the unprecedented events of the past year. These uncertain times can leave you questioning what you want from life and what your future plans will be. If you are hoping to make some significant changes in your life to enable you to live authentically and allow your true self to shine through, then these tips should help you explore this further and provide you with some inspiration on how to get started.

Being authentic and staying true to yourself is not easy. As society is full of conventions on how people are supposed to look and behave, it can be hard to live authentically. For example, feeling under pressure to look a certain way to conform with widely held views of what is attractive can leave you feeling bad about yourself and like you are never quite good enough. Letting go of these beliefs and forging your own path is part of living authentically and the first step in ensuring you live in a way that is true to yourself.

 

Consider Your Beliefs

Part of living authentically is exploring yourself and your beliefs. Developing a greater understanding of yourself and why you do the things you do plays a crucial role in helping you move a step closer to letting your true self shine through. Establishing your values and beliefs and living according to them will help you find your path and live life in a way that is meaningful to you.

If you have never thought too much about your values before, it could be helpful to consider what matters to you, what makes you happy, and what you believe in. Maybe you feel passionate about the environment, or perhaps helping other people makes you feel fulfilled. Establishing what matters to you makes it much easier to focus your attention on spending more time doing what’s important to you and channeling your energy into making that possible.

 

Bring More Calm Into Your Life

Being permanently stressed out and rushing around can take its toll on your well-being. When life feels like a constant battle to get things done, there is no time to give yourself breathing space and take time to relax. A significant part of living authentically is doing things that have meaning to you and not draining your energy on feeling stressed and pretending to be someone else.

Everyone needs to work to support themselves and maintain their lifestyle, but keeping your stress levels under control is vital. Bringing more calm into your life is an excellent way to keep your sense of perspective and prevent stress from getting in the way of living life to your full potential. When you feel calm and relaxed, it is so much easier to stay true to yourself and not lose sight of what matters to you. 

Different people find different ways to bring calm into their lives. Some people find exercise is a beneficial way to destress and clear their minds. Other people prefer to try techniques such as mindfulness and meditation to help them maintain their peace. Finding a way to relax that works for you will help you stay focused and manage your stress levels.

 

Evaluate What You Want From Life

When your life is crazily busy, it can be challenging to think about your needs and wants. When you are focused on simply making it through each day, it can be almost impossible to dedicate any time to think about the bigger picture.

Re-evaluating what you want from life can bring many powerful moments of discovery. Thinking about how you spend your time now and which of these things brings you joy can throw up a few surprises. You may discover you actually spend a lot of your time doing things that you don’t enjoy. Getting some balance back into your life by doing more of the things you love can make a significant difference. Being around people that you feel comfortable with and feel free to be yourself can be a liberating experience and bring out the best in you.

Click to comment
To Top