Validation

Validation is something craved by most in today’s society. With social media we have far more access than ever before to people’s lives or the parts they want you to see. With that in mind it’s understandable to want to fit in to feel seen.

As a child we are often applauded for any accomplishment large or small, whether that’s taking your first steps or eating everything on your plate. So, it’s very natural as we get older to crave some validation and often feel quite empty without it because that’s what we were once so used to. This is why it’s so important to applaud ourselves for our accomplishments big or small to prevent that empty feeling or letting it fester.

So how do we do this? Self-care.

Self-care isn’t always what you see on social media, it’s not always having a bath and doing a facemask sometimes self-care is taking yourself to therapy or writing down that issue you’ve been dealing with that’s just too hard to say aloud.

But let’s talk about self-care in association to self-validation. Self-care might look like rewarding yourself with your favourite meal, taking yourself on a date, buying that outfit you’ve been eyeing up for so long or saying to yourself what you’d love to hear from someone else in this moment. We can also use validation as a motivation.

What’s that thing you’ve been putting off recently? Or that hobby you really love but just don’t feel motivated to get started? Invite a friend!

Someone who always supports you and makes you feel good. Invite them over to join you whilst you or the both of you take part in that activity.

Most people are more likely to do something when they have someone to impress because the person matters and you value their opinion. It can be a reward for the both of you, you get to do that thing you need or want to do and feel that satisfaction whilst treating someone you love to it too.

Bringing someone into your life like this and sharing what you love or don’t love to do so much can be a great way of strengthening that bond with them. This is because there’s nothing more vulnerable than sharing these moments that really capture who you are and whilst this can be scary for some it’s how we develop strong and meaningful connections with others.

And on the topic of validation, if you haven’t heard it today, you’re doing amazing and I’m proud of you.