Giving Yourself Grace: Permission to Not Accomplish Everything

I want to talk to you today about giving yourself grace.

This is a topic that I've heard from a lot of people lately that they're saying things where they aren’t giving themselves grace. So today, I'm giving you permission to give yourself grace.

The example here is when people ask me how I get a lot of things done during my day or how I'm able to accomplish things on my to-do list.

One of the things that they are asking themselves is what's going on in their lives where maybe they're not able to complete these things. For example, my friends ask me, “How do you get everything done?” When they are a mom of at least one child, if not more, and they have to take care of another human being.

I'm not a mom! I have a whole different kind of time schedule compared to parents. 

Or they ask that question about how do you get things done and they might have a chronic illness or disease that prevents them from being able to have a whole different kind of time right? If you have fatigue, that's something that you're dealing with that takes a lot more time in your day.

Something else that has happened to me – so for example, just today this morning, it's a Monday and I forgot my lunch that was on the kitchen counter. I packed it and I forgot it and I also forgot the computer cord that connects my tablet to the projector for classes, and I forgot both of these things.

Instead of telling myself kind of the negative thought loop of, “Oh, I can't believe you left those things” or “you're so stupid for leaving those things” – things that we wouldn't ever tell our best friend, but somehow we think it's okay to tell ourselves that.

Instead of doing all that, I just remember like, “Hey, it's ok. Sometimes these kinds of things happen” and I don't have to beat myself up for thinking that something it was about me, “it’ll be fine.” The rest of my day can be fine. The rest of my week can be fine, until the rest of the month – completely the rest of the month. All these things help remind us to give ourselves grace.

So what's something that's going on in your life that you might not be accounting for when you're trying to think about all the things you need to get done?

What are some of the things you can prevent yourself from saying to yourself inside your head that you wouldn't say to anybody else, but sometimes we get trapped in telling ourselves that?

Those are two things I want you to think about today. Tell us below in the comments or send me a note because I'd love to hear what your examples are! You have my permission to not get it all done.

Caitlin Faas

Developmental psychologist who loves growing up.

http://www.drcaitlinfaas.com/
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Psychological Super Powers: How to Conquer Self-Control

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How to Make Myself Work During Designated Times