🌈Thank you so much for 7,000 followers. Even so, there are days when I feel anxious.

Before I knew it, the number of people following this note had exceeded 7,000.

And the other day, I received the happy news that the total number of "likes" I've received has reached 48,000.

To those who have read my articles.

To those who have sent me likes and comments.

To those who are quietly watching over me.

Thank you so much.

And currently, we are also holding a reader's choice vote for the "Six Stories of Self-Understanding" born from the 6,000-follower thank-you project.

The voting deadline is tomorrow, July 31st.

Before I tell you about the voting, today I would like to write a little about the "importance of self-understanding" that I myself feel.

I thought that if my followers increased, I would be able to have confidence

I used to think,

"Maybe if I could get more people to read my work, I would be able to have confidence."

I thought that.

If my followers increased.

If my likes increased.

If I were needed by many people.

I felt like my anxiety would decrease.

Even now, I want to deliver my words to more people.

I would also like to see the view of reaching 10,000 followers.

But at the same time,

I have gradually come to understand that having my follower count continue to grow does not mean my anxiety will disappear.

Even now that I have passed 7,000 followers, there are days when I feel like I cannot write a note.

Days when I keep the screen open, but the words just won't come out.

Days when I wonder, 'Is this kind of article really okay?'

Days when I feel anxious, wondering, 'Is there really anyone waiting for my words?'

Seeing the wonderful posts from others,

'I can't write like that,'

I sometimes feel envious.

Of course, I am happy that my number of followers is increasing.

However, the more the number grows, it doesn't mean my heart automatically feels at ease.

If I could just get someone to acknowledge me, my confidence would be complete.

The human heart is not that simple, is it?

When I used to blame myself for feeling anxious

In the past, every time I felt anxious, I would blame myself.

'Even though people are supporting me, why can't I just be happy about it?'

'I should be more positive.'

'I'm still not good enough if I'm worrying about things like this.'

More than the fact that I was feeling anxious,

I think I was making myself suffer even more by denying the part of me that felt anxious.

But now, I have started to be able to see things a little differently.

"Why am I feeling anxious right now?"

"What kind of feelings are hidden behind this envy?"

I try asking my heart questions like that.

Maybe I am just exhausted.

Maybe I have been looking at the numbers too much and spending more time comparing myself to others.

Maybe I have been putting too much pressure on myself, thinking, "I have to write better articles."

In truth,

it might not be that I "want to be liked by many people," but rather,

that I wanted the reassurance of knowing,

"someone has received my words."

There isn't always just one reason for these feelings.

Even so,

"I feel anxious because I am not good enough"

instead of ending it there,

"What happened that is making me feel this way right now?"

I have become able to think in this way.

For me, this has been a very big change.

Self-understanding is not a magic spell that eliminates anxiety.

Just because you have progressed in self-understanding does not mean you will stop feeling anxious.

It does not mean you will stop envying others.

It does not mean you will stop feeling down or lost.

I don't think self-understanding is a magic spell that makes all worries disappear.

However, it does allow you to gradually put into words what is happening inside you.

"Right now, I am feeling impatient."

"Deep down, I wanted to be acknowledged."

"I've been working hard, and I'm a little tired."

"I'm afraid of failing, so I can't write."

When you can name your feelings, it becomes easier to think about what you want to do next.

Let's rest a little today.

Let's take a break from the numbers.

Instead of a perfect article, let's write the words I can write right now.

Instead of carrying it all alone, let's try talking to someone.

Small options will gradually come into view.

Self-understanding is not about finding the right answer.

It is about noticing your feelings,

not blaming yourself,

and thinking together about the next step you want to choose.

It might just be about, becoming your own counselor little by little.

In July, you showed me so many wonderful sights.

In July, many of you read my articles about self-understanding, peace of mind, and relationships with others.

Of course, I am happy to receive congratulations and see the numbers grow.

However, what stays in my heart even more is...

“It felt like you were writing about me.”

“I was able to see the self I had been blaming from a slightly different angle.”

“I also wanted to know my own feelings.”

It is receiving words like these.

One article touches someone's heart.

The reader takes a moment to look at themselves.

The realizations born from that reach someone else.

July was a month where I was shown that gentle cycle of self-understanding many times over.

Six stories of self-understanding were born🌈

The 6,000-follower thank-you project didn't end with just receiving a report; it began as a 'practice of self-understanding' where people put their discoveries into words.

The six people I am introducing this time

used the 'Manual for Your Heart Creation App'

to receive their reports and write articles about their own realizations.

Even using the same app,

the scenery they see,

and the words that remain in their hearts,

The meaning each person took away is also different.

Those who have begun to turn their high sensitivity toward themselves as well.

Those who have moved from self-blame through self-analysis to self-understanding.

Those who have gently put the thoughts in their heads into words.

Those who have realized the meaning of actions they have been continuing unconsciously.

Those who have discovered their own power to think carefully while pausing along the way.

Those who have tried to choose "subtraction" to protect themselves while also taking on challenges.

There were six stories of self-understanding that cannot be compared with anyone else's.

Currently, we are holding a vote to choose a "Reader's Award" from among those six articles.

The Reader's Award is not about:

"Who is the best"

"Which article is the most skillful"

deciding these things.

What I would like you to choose is:

the scenery that remained in your heart.

You read it and felt a warm sensation.

You felt like thinking a little about yourself, too.

A certain phrase has remained in your heart.

You were quietly encouraged by the figure of the writer.

I would be happy if you could choose based on those movements of your own heart.

The places that move your heart may hold the things you cherish most.

That is why I believe the time spent voting is also a small moment for self-discovery.

▶ Click here for the introduction to the 6 articles and to vote for the Reader's Choice Award

The voting deadline is July 31st.

Please write the number of the article that left an impression on you in the comments section.

Even just a few words are very welcome🌈ᵕ̈*

🌿Why don't you start your own journey of self-discovery?

The people who wrote these 6 articles didn't know everything about themselves from the start either.

They received their reports,

encountered new words,

and asked themselves, "Why do I feel this way?"

or "Perhaps I have this side to me as well."

They looked at themselves little by little.

Self-discovery is not something only for special people.

It is not something you only start when your worries become deep.

It begins with the small moments of discomfort you feel in your daily life.

The ways of thinking you repeat over and over.

The moments when you feel pained by comparing yourself to others.

The words you use to blame yourself.

Self-discovery begins the moment you notice these small movements of your heart.

For those who read today's article and

“I would like to get to know myself a little better, too”

thought,

I have prepared three entry points that match how you are feeling right now.

🌱 First, for those who want to learn about the concept of self-understanding

This is an article I wrote about a concept I value in my posts,

“Toward self-understanding, not self-blame”

a concept I value in my posts.

“Why did I feel this way?”

“What have I been trying to protect?”

Instead of blaming yourself, by re-examining your background and feelings, you may find a little more clarity.

▶ Article on “Toward self-understanding, not self-blame”

🌈 For those who want to see their own “User Manual for the Heart”

The six people introduced this time used the

“User Manual for the Heart Creation App”

is what they used.

By using the app, you can view your characteristics in how you feel and think, as well as the strengths you naturally possess, in the form of a report.

“When do I tend to push myself too hard?”

“What are the strengths I hadn't noticed myself?”

“What kind of interactions make me feel a little more at ease?”

While reading the report, you can take time to observe your own heart from a slightly detached perspective.

There is no need to write an article.

First, just look at the report by yourself,

"Perhaps this kind of me also exists"

Even just accepting that can be a small moment of self-understanding.

▶ Click here for the app to create your own user manual for your heart

The period for the 6,000-person thank-you project has come to an end.

However, the time spent looking at yourself through the report will continue.

In the future, if you write an article about what you felt using the app or the insights you found from the report, I would be happy to introduce it.

When you write an article, please let me know in the comments.

Quietly looking at the report by yourself,

or putting your insights into words and sharing them with someone,

both are forms of self-understanding that suit you.

The insights you put into words might become an entrance for someone else,

"Maybe I'll try to get to know myself a little too"

making them think that.

🌼For those who feel it is difficult to organize things alone

Even if you read the report and notice your own tendencies,

"How is this connected to my daily events?"

"I want to organize my feelings, but I just go around in circles in my head"

I sometimes feel that way.

Currently,

I am looking for participants for a monitoring program to deepen self-understanding with a psychologist while using a feelings journal app.

This is not to have someone else tell you the right answer.

It is a time to organize your daily events and emotions together,

“What was I really feeling?”

“What kind of next step could I choose?”

and to look at things by asking,

It is a time to reflect on these questions.

If you find that when you reflect alone, you end up blaming yourself,

or if you want to put your feelings into words a little more carefully,

please take a look here.

▶ Self-understanding monitoring program using a feelings journal app

The heart continues to grow little by little, even today.

Even after surpassing 7,000 followers,

and receiving 48,000 likes,

I still feel anxious sometimes.

However, I have started to reduce the number of times I end that anxiety by saying,

“It’s because I’m no good.”

I am learning to be kinder to myself.

"Why am I feeling this way right now?"

"What is it that I truly want?"

Being able to listen to my own heart.

Being able to find words to support myself instead of blaming myself.

These are small but important changes that have emerged within me as I have continued my journey of self-understanding.

The heart is not something that is completed once you understand it.

It continues to grow again and again as we accumulate comfort, words, and experiences.

That is why I want to continue sharing this with all of you.

From self-blame to self-understanding.

So that knowing your own heart leads to the strength to support yourself.

And so that you can notice your own feelings and find it easier to choose the step that is right for you.

The heart continues to grow little by little today as well.🌸🌿

#SelfUnderstanding
#FromSelfBlameToSelfUnderstanding
#ICounselingRoom
#LicensedPsychologist
#ClinicalPsychologist
#Psychology
#OrganizingYourMind
#CherishYourself
#HSP
#SensitivePerson