GET REAL: This season, give yourself the gift of authenticity
Get real: This season, give yourself the gift of authenticity
Being true to yourself is good for your mental health. Here’s our guide to being authentic
Anne McCormack
Irish Times 13th December 2016
There has been a lot of talk lately, at a national, local and personal level, about the importance of putting mental health front and centre. Therefore, as the Christmas season approaches, during this time of gift-giving, we have an opportunity to focus on what we can gift to ourselves, in order to impact in a positive way on our mental health.
Living life authentically, getting in tune with our true sense of how we wish to be in this world, is one of the most positive things we can do to enhance our overall wellbeing.
Research carried out by Abigail Mengers in 2014 looked at how, as humans, we each have a desire to be authentic and when we are, even if it sets us up to be different from others, it still correlates with increased levels of joy and wellbeing.
We have many social duties to fulfil, many roles to play and tasks to complete. Often, living life authentically is something that can get drowned out in the daily grind but it is worth carving out time to look at how to live authentically. It is worth doing because our mental health is worth enhancing.
Realising your own needs, and not being held back by fear of what others might think or say, matters.
Here are five ways to move towards living life more authentically.
- Check in with yourself about how authentically you are living
To be authentic simply means to be real, to not be a copy, to be yourself. So if you spend time trying to do what you think others expect of you, if you’re often trying to be as good as someone …read more
Original post: Family Therapy Association of Ireland