Sometimes You Have to Give Yourself Grace

“Instead of expecting perfection, we can try our best. And we can know behind a shadow of a doubt that our best is good enough.”

Ashley Hetherington

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In a community where consistency and progress are at the forefront to success, the practice of grace, specifically to yourself, can be easily forgotten.

I was frustrated with myself last week. Three exams and five group projects on top of an already busy schedule pushed me to my mental capacity. After attending classes, working, and studying for hours, I could barely hold my head up by the end of the day. Needless to say, I didn’t make it to the gym Tuesday, Wednesday, OR Thursday. I planned to make up my lost gym-time by doing a hard-hitting workout on Sunday but ended up getting the stomach flu (NOT fun btw).

I found myself lying there pretty much lifeless in my bed Sunday afternoon feeling angry and defeated. I kept thinking, “How could you have let yourself miss so many days this week? Think of all the progress you probably lost”.

What’s the benefit of mulling over circumstances that are out of your control?

Well, there isn’t one. But I do it a lot anyway.

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I’m a perfectionist. Whether it’s academics, fitness, or personal matters, I want to perform perfectly. I crave the feeling of accomplishment and fear failure. Because of this, it is truly a struggle for me to give myself the grace that I deserve.

However, my self-awareness has saved me. Instead of being stuck in a cycle of self-blame and disapointment, I lean on my loved ones to keep me in check. They know that I am my toughest critic and that I sometimes need a reality check. The process of calling them, letting out my frustrations, and being open to their perspective has taught me how to look at my own situation from an outside point of view. It grounds me and encourages me to let go.

Grace is a gift. It has been a central theme in not only my health journey but my life as well. I’m not perfect at it, but I’m getting better at it every day.

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Sunday afternoon I realized I was heading down a path that I hadn’t been down in a long time. Somehow, I talked myself out of what would have been an unnecessary funk. I remember telling myself, “You are doing the best that you can do. Illness and school are out of your control. It’s a new week, make it a better one”.

And suddenly, my body relaxed; for I was given peace of mind.

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I’ll be honest…this past week was tough. 🥴 I had several exams and group project responsibilities that kept me from the gym. By the end of week, I felt gross and extremely behind on progress. After some self-reflection, I’ve decided that I need to get better at giving myself grace. ••• Sometimes, we just simply can’t do it all. And that’s okay. It’s about how you come back even stronger that really matters! After I get over this flu (I know, I know—TERRIBLE), I’m so pumped to get back to working hard both in and out of the gym! 💪🏽🤘🏽

A post shared by Fit by Julez 🔅 (@julez_fitbby) on Mar 1, 2020 at 7:07pm PST