Taking ourselves too seriously as adults is a sure-fire way to end up unhappy.
Of course, there are times where we need to be serious or professional and that is important too.
But outside of these circumstances, it is really important that we are able to not take ourselves too seriously and that we are able to feel free and uninhibited. Feeling free is the only way to grow and develop into the best visions of ourselves. It is also the only way that we will be able to look back on our lives and feel that we took every opportunity that we could.
If you want to be able to take this opportunity and learn how to take yourself less seriously, check out our list of 4 tips that you can use to do so.
It might be a slow process but that is ok.
Any progress in the right direction is all you need to grow in life.
Ready?
Let’s get into it.
Push outside of your comfort zone
If we stay in our comfort zones our whole life because we are worried about what people think of us, we will never grow.
If you take yourself too seriously you might think that everyone is constantly watching you and criticising you. And, hey, sometimes they will be, but overall people are far more concerned with themselves and what they are doing rather than watching your every move.
Taking yourself too seriously is putting yourself in the centre of everyone else’s worlds and thoughts, when realistically they are the centre of their own thoughts, not you.
Free yourself in this way and allow yourself to go outside of your comfort zone.
Do things that are scary, do things that are completely new for you and don’t “match up” with the identity of yourself you have built so far, and, really, do anything you want that you think will make you happy.
Let yourself be embarrassed
“Embarrassment” is a subjective thing.
If we think something is embarrassing and that we should be embarrassed, then we will be.
But if we don’t take ourselves too seriously then it is far harder for us to actually feel embarrassed.
Embarrassment is shame on a small level and we never need to feel shame about ourselves. We can make mistakes, do silly things, do fun things, take risks, take centre stage, and do anything we want without needing to feel shame about it.
Whenever you just let yourself be embarrassed and not let it stop you from doing anything you want to, there are so many more opportunities waiting for you to have.
Embarrassment kills fun, so don’t let it.
Avoid social media
When we are on social media a lot we are constantly curating a neatly tied up image of ourselves. We are creating an online brand that is us, or a vision of us.
This can lead us to take ourselves far too seriously and think that everything we do needs to look good and impress other people.
But social media isn’t a reflection of the reality of life.
Life is messy, it changes, it fluctuates, it has ups and downs.
You aren’t a brand, but you are a real person with a real life.
Free yourself from the limitations that creating a life on social media brings, and allow yourself to go out there and live your life as a real and authentic person.
This will make you much happier.
Embrace your inner child
Children don’t take themselves too seriously and they are all the happier for it.
Being a child is all about experiencing things as they are. It is messy, free and fun. It isn’t about worrying about what other people think or living up to societal expectations because children aren’t aware of these things yet and so are not held back by them.
As an adult, take some time to embrace your inner child.
Play in a way that is free and uninhibited. Do things that you loved when you were small. Go out and do what you want without caring what people think.
If you can manage to not take yourself or other people too seriously, you can open yourself up to living in a way that is much more authentic and fun, and you can ultimately feel free to live your life as you see fit.
Isn’t that all of us really want?