How to work through self-imposed deadlines and expectations to gain mental freedom (a thread):

1. Name the expectation: Ask yourself, what self-imposed deadlines or expectations are suffocating me? Try to think of ways that you may feel pressured to show up in the world right now.

2. The things that trigger us can make us feel like we need to avoid certain things. Reflect on how it makes you feel when you think about this expectation or deadline, and acknowledge how it may be interfering with how you are showing up in the world.

3. Reflect on the expectation: Ask yourself, is it one I have created for myself, or has it been imposed on me? Why is it so important to me? Think about what actually is important for you. Rewrite the expectation.

4. Own your truth: Own what’s true for you without anyone else’s input. For me, I realized I don’t want kids right now. Owning that truth has freed me to focus on the parts of my life I do want to give time and energy to. It’s allowed me to show up more fully everyday.

5. Evaluate other expectations in your life: Turn inward and ask yourself what expectations serve you and which don’t. Naming and saying no to certain things allows us to show up for ourselves fully and frees us up to own what we truly want.

6. Let go of expectations and deadlines that no longer serve you; remove expectations that don’t allow you to live in your truth, create room in your life for what you truly want. This will create space in your life to build healthy habits and enter into a state of flow.

This thread was inspired by Episode 30 of the @lessonslrnd podcast, Identifying Self-imposed Expectations and Building Habits To Better Show Up For Yourself. Tune in here: https://share.transistor.fm/s/11aa725d