The Importance of Noticing Your Progress
Each day, you are moving forward. No matter what your daily activities look like, by getting through the day, you are progressing the story of your life. After the last year of quarantine, it might feel like many days have blurred together, and that might leave you feeling like you weren’t as productive as you wish you could have been. In an article provided by Psychology Today by Rick Hanson Ph.D., the importance of noticing your progress is emphasized.
Living in a digital age can bring many challenges. Every day you are made aware of the negative occurrences in the world via social media or the news. This can easily make you feel stagnant or like you are regressing, but it’s crucial to start recognizing the progress you are making in your personal life. Without it, this can cultivate what researchers call “learned helplessness”—a downward spiral that is incredibly easy to fall into. The goal is not to idealize your life, but to recognize the good and the bad, instead of the constant negativity.
Start being more aware of the little ways you are moving forward daily. Whether it is finally folding that pile of laundry you’ve been putting off, or replying to that email that you were stressing about. Once you get used to this, start thinking about it in a longer timeframe. What productive activities did you get done in the last year? It is likely that isolation allowed you to have important breakthroughs, causing you to grow as a person. Though it might seem like small steps, the last year was crucial for your personal progress as an individual.
The widespread message that 2020 was entirely bleak is simply untrue. Every period in human history has had dark times, but in many ways your daily life is most likely thriving even more than it was before. Light can come from darkness, and recognizing the positivity will be beneficial for your mental health.
Focusing on positivity does not mean ignoring or overlooking injustice and sorrow. Noticing the good in the world, and personal progress, will help bring encouragement and insight. Know that you are doing your best, and that is enough. Remember that you are moving forward constantly, and that is something that should be celebrated.