By Rebecca Stephenson 

How to Celebrate the Little Things

Celebrating, accepting, and loving yourself is so important although sometimes we can find it hard to give ourselves a pat on the back. We are living in such a fast-paced world always looking to do better, be better and strive for more. It’s ok to have big goals but it is also important to celebrate the little things. 

After a period of poor mental health, I set up Little Victories to support and encourage others to celebrate all their little victories. I found when I was struggling with high levels of anxiety all I could focus on was what I was not doing or achieving. I was constantly putting myself down and feeling like a failure. At times things seemed such a blur and hectic I knew I needed to slow things down and appreciate the little things in life more.
I decided I needed to check in with myself daily sometimes hourly and reflect on what I had accomplished.

After just a short time of doing this I noticed a change in my mindset. By identifying all the little victories I had achieved it helped build my self-esteem and in turn reduced my anxiety. 

So How can you celebrate your little victories?

Little Victories Jar
1) Purchase a small Jar, pack of sticky notes and of course, you will need a pen
2) Each Day write down on a sticky note the date and something small you achieved that day. For example, ” 01/5/18 Today I took my children to the park and managed my anxiety”, “05/6/18 Today I met with a friend for a coffee”.
3) As the days go by the jar will slowly fill up
4) At the end of the year open the jar and read out loud all the wonderful things you managed to achieve no matter how small and reflect on how far you have come.

A Victory Journal
A Journal is a written record of your thoughts, experiences, and observations and a great way to document your victories. Keeping a victory journal can do wonders for your self-esteem. Not only does regular journaling make you feel good, but it also helps you re-live the events you experienced in a safe environment where you can process them without fear or stress. So, pick yourself up a notepad or invest in a journal and each day write down your thoughts and feelings from the day and write down your little victories. It is important to not give yourself a hard time and think your victories are not deserving of celebrating. Go back to basics and celebrate taking a shower, implementing self-care, or preparing a meal. It can be that simple!

Reward Yourself!
Treat yourself to something nice you deserve to reward yourself. This can range from things like:

• Buy Yourself a Gift 
• Book a Spa Treatment
• Book a Meal or Takeaway

Its easy to self-sabotage and let the negative thoughts over power your victories so, it is important to schedule some time maybe as a reminder on your phone or calendar to pop a note in your victories jar or write in your journal.

Remember Every Little Victory Matters No Matter How Small! 

Rebecca x

www.instagram.com/littlevictoriesmatter

How can No Panic help?
No Panic specialises in self-help recovery and our services include:
Providing people with the skills they need to manage their condition and work towards recovery.
Our aim is to give you all of the necessary advice, tools and support that you will need to recover and carry out this journey. No Panic Recovery Programs