A list of self-care highlights and lessons in 2017

I am coming to you with a typical end-of-year post of a list of self-care highlights and lessons that I’ve learned. This will be the last one in 2017!

First of all, thank you to all readers and bloggers whom have taken the time to read, comments and even nominate this blog with awards—ones that I have yet respond to. I’ll take these as encouragements and support even if I doubted myself in the first place. So, thank you. Words can never express enough of how much I appreciate every comment, personal message and visit.

Anyway, here’s to another year of growth.

1. Be open with your feelings; don’t be afraid to be more vulnerable and honest with you feel.
2. Don’t categorise your emotions; recognise your emotions and deal with them.
3. Social media isn’t that bad as most people has portrayed them to be. It has always been about what is going on within.
4. It’s okay to say no to something if it is a good cause especially when you’re already burnt out; learn to prioritise things and draw a boundary with the aim to respect your time.
5. When you do respect (note that I don’t use the word ‘manage’) your time, you’ll only give out the best even if you know the things that you do will tire you out.
6. Embrace your imperfections and mistakes; learn from the things that made you crumble and fall.
7. It’s okay to grieve for a loss even if it’s something that seems superficial or on the surface. Loss is loss. Grieve as much as you can but don’t forget to come back.
8. Don’t live according to the world; live according to what pleases God because that’s the thing only that won’t break you. Even if it’ll break you, you’ll find faith and hope within those struggles when you give yourself enough time to reflect and pause. 
9. Don’t be afraid to go against the tide—against the norm—even if it scares you so much. 
10. Turn your struggles into creative inspirations.
11. You’ve got to stop finding what you’re good at because you’ll never learn from being good at something. If anything, just do and let your potential surface as you go on the journey towards finding your purpose.
12. Plan your dreams and stick to them.
13. But don’t be so rigid with plans that you wouldn’t be able to imagine your life without them.
14. And don’t be so occupied with your future that you can’t even see what’s right in front of you. So, it’s all about finding the balance and an in-between road.
15. Remember, Allah is the best of all planners. Try your best and just leave everything else to the One who brought you this far.
16. Gratitude is the root of contentment.
17. You are what you choose to be. No one has the power but Allah to change yourself but you.