I’ve always found challenging myself very difficult, much more comfortable in the realms of what I know. I’m terrified of the unknown and things that might make me panic. I’ve said no to so many things and pushed away so many opportunities because I’ve been too scared to do things which I regret so much.
Doing little things to challenge yourself every day is the most important thing. Small things like asking someone a question in a shop or just going out for a walk will help you as you will feel so proud of yourself that you have been able to do it and it will also improve your life even if it is only a little bit. These small victories that you are having will make you feel in control of your life again which will allow you to challenge yourself to do bigger things which you would have thought otherwise impossible.
The little victories will build the confidence that you can do things and you can beat anxiety. You will build up the confidence and be able to challenge yourself to more and more difficult things that you never thought you would be able to do. Things that you thought you couldn’t do, will become normal everyday things that you will not think of as challenges.
Yes, you won’t always succeed and you will have fall downs but in whatever you do, this will happen. Don’t let these things completely take away all of the confidence you have built up because you’ve been able to do so many things and one little thing can’t take over. You just have to get up and carry on working at it until you feel completely able to do it or at least try again.
Definitely don’t give up though! It can seem like such a good option and an easy way out when things get difficult but, in the long run, what is it going to do for you? You aren’t going to be able to help yourself if you give up when the slightest thing goes wrong and no one is going to be able to help you if you can’t help yourself.
You won’t get anywhere in life if you don’t challenge yourself and that goes for anyone with or without mental health problems. If you don’t challenge yourself, you will be stuck in the same monotonous routine with no moving forward or change at all.