Dear Patient,
It’s said that comparison is the thief of happiness.
We usually hear this as a warning not to compare ourselves to others, but sometimes the comparison we’re doing is to ourselves. We long for the days when we looked younger, when our joints didn’t crack and ache all the time, when we didn’t have to put on glasses to read a text message. When we just felt better.
“I used to be…” I’ll hear patients say. Strong. Flexible. Athletic. Able to eat whatever I wanted. Not so tired all the time.
The thing is, your energetic, pain-free, corrective lens-less past self might actually long to be exactly who you are right now. Did you ever stop to consider that? Sure, your physical body has taken a few hits but think of what you’ve gained in exchange. Perspective. Invaluable life lessons. Empathy. Wisdom.
Go ahead and remember what it was like, how easy it was to touch your toes or get by on four hours of sleep. But please don’t compare yourself to your younger version. You’re not the same person now, thank goodness. You’ve persisted and survived and accomplished a thing or two. Just the person your younger self aspired to be.
Love and gratitude,
Your Acupuncturist
This is so true. One of the most detrimental things we can do is compare ourselves to others or to an earlier version of ourselves, as you point out. We've been raised to compare ourselves to everybody else and usually find ourselves lacking. Making an effort to change this habit, because that's what it is, can reap significant results! Thanks for the reminder! Krysta
This was very powerful, thank you!