Moderation is a wonderful thing!✨

Moderation

Appropriate. A degree that is just right without going overboard.

Let's talk about moderation!

We think we understand what moderation is, but sometimes we don't.

We end up trying too hard, or doing too much...

Why does that happen?

The reasons behind it vary from person to person.

I, too, am one of those people who has lived life trying too hard.

I didn't understand moderation.

I will look back on the changes in myself until I understood moderation.

That was when I was recovering from a mental breakdown,
and had started to be able to spend my daily life peacefully again.

I learned this when I was working as a gym trainer in my previous job.

My peers were college students and men in their early 20s who had specialized in sports intensely.
They were young enough to be my children (lol).
We trained on the theory and knowledge of exercise, but
no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't beat them! It's obvious, though.

But I felt like I was being expected to reach the same level as them.

My head understood that wasn't the case,
but my heart felt otherwise.

It was clear that my abilities were inferior,
and I didn't think I could reach the same skill level,
but I felt I had to acquire enough knowledge and technique to respond to the customers!
That was the mindset I had.

It wasn't impatience, but rather
a standard I had imposed on myself, stemming from the environment and my own personality.

I couldn't gain confidence in myself at all...
I told my boss, "I can't handle individual customer guidance. I can't do it..."
Even though I was an adult, I was hit by such immense pressure that I burst into tears.

"You'll be fine!" "You're doing it! Please have confidence!"
"It's okay to just do what you know."
"You can ask someone who knows for the things you don't."

I had lost all confidence to the point where
even my boss's kind words couldn't reach me.

No matter how much I studied, no matter how hard I tried,
I didn't feel like I could ever have confidence in myself...

Since I was little, I've been prone to nervousness.
I am highly sensitive (it's immediately obvious).
I am prone to anxiety.
I feel uncomfortable doing things when I am not perfect.
I hadn't gained confidence in my skills.

I had those kinds of feelings.

Those around me said I was doing fine.
But I myself couldn't feel that I was okay.

That was one such event.

All my colleagues told me I was fine.
They acknowledged the skills I had and the ones I didn't.
They told me they would support me.
We were working by complementing each other.

I was in such a warm workplace.

Even though I didn't have confidence, I realized something!

That is,

◆Asking for help with things I cannot do myself.

I have solved everything by myself.
I could say I couldn't do something, but I haven't been able to ask for help.
I am inexperienced at asking for help!

◆I was uncomfortable with being imperfect and tried to make myself perfect.

I cannot accept myself as imperfect.
I cannot feel at ease.
I am not accepting myself as I am!

This is,
practice for doing things I haven't been able to do until now!

I reframed it that way.

The tension, anxiety, and pressure remain the same.

But there was something supporting me.

Having an environment that tells me it's okay.
Feeling that there are colleagues who support me.
Being able to think that I am fine just as I am now.

With that in my heart,
I fought against my own tension, anxiety, and pressure!

I think I was able to decide to entrust myself to my teammates—in other words, I placed my trust in them.

My teammates encouraged and appreciated me for that✨

I couldn't have done it on my own.

I was able to overcome it thanks to myself and my teammates.

Being accepted by my teammates allowed me to accept who I am now,

and the practice became an experience that transformed into my own strength!

I learned that not trying too hard means asking for help✨

Because my upbringing got in the way,

asking for help

felt pathetic, miserable, or inferior,

or even like I was being coddled,

and it was something I couldn't easily do with an open heart.

It is different from just being dependent and always relying on others.

Things I can work on with peace of mind.

That this is the extent of what I can do

is something I felt for the first time at this age.

Feeling that something is a little better than this,

must be

moderation💕

I suppose.

And, right now, I

find moderation

to be comfortable✨😊