Having the right mindset is crucial to navigating through your day as a caregiver. After all, if you’re constantly doubting yourself or if you believe that you’re not good enough, you’re putting up obstacles before you’ve even started.
Here are 3 ways to help you build a positive mindset and prime yourself for success as a caregiver.
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See the positives in failure
Everyone makes mistakes, but the difference between “successful people” and the rest is how you respond to your failures. I’m reluctant to use the word failure because sometimes as caregivers we feel as if we have failed when we’re having an off day or maybe we’re just unable to take care of our loved one any longer. It’s easy to get crushed by failure or to allow it to sap your energy and shake your confidence.
If you must wallow in your mistake, set a brief time period then move on. Once the dust settles, sit back and assess what went wrong and why. Work out how you would handle it differently next time and get busy.
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Be your own cheerleader
You can maintain a positive mindset no matter what the circumstances if you pay attention to your self-talk. If you find yourself slipping into negative thoughts or beating yourself up for making a mistake, flip the script. Give yourself credit for showing up and trying. Acknowledge your successes and learn from your mistakes.
Positive self-talk can help you see everything as an asset and as something that will help you along the path to success. Being your own cheerleader will make you more resilient and more confident that you will achieve your goals. Successful people expect to succeed. Believe you can do it and you will!
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Don’t compare
Social media makes it difficult not to compare yourself with others, but it can be toxic to your mindset. First of all, people only show the best part of their lives online. No one shares their failures or tweets about being fired or going bankrupt. You only get to see what people want to share. And they only want to share the good stuff, never the whole story.
It’s also important to remember that there is not a finite pool of success. Other people’s success does not affect what you can achieve. Someone else’s promotion or award doesn’t mean you can’t have the same level of success. But it’s up to you. The only person you should be competing with is yourself. And if you look back, you can see all the stepping stones and successes that led to where you are today. Focus on your benchmarks and don’t worry about other people.
“Sometimes the most productive thing we can do is focus on ourselves.” – Britt Julious