Photography and Words, Rachel Byrne
I’m enjoying my thirties. Here is some of what I’ve learned so far.
Don’t rush.
Excellent posture costs nothing and looks amazing.
Listen more than you talk.
Don’t apologise unless you’ve actually done something wrong.
Embrace quietness.
Embrace your strangeness.
Be a really reliable and caring parent to yourself.
Save your best behaviour for your family.
Be elegant in all communication. Learn and do better tomorrow if you didn’t manage today.
Understand your attachment style. If it’s anything other than healthy, do whatever you have to do to make it healthy.
Be brutally honest with yourself about everything you’re doing wrong.
Trust yourself.
Be empathetic and kind towards yourself.
Make sure the five-year-old you still recognises themselves in you.
Learn and explore your emotional triggers. What are they telling you?
Make life difficult for yourself; never order fast food on an app and always take the stairs.
Be empathetic to men – give them space to explore emotional vulnerability.
Be empathetic to women – ignore gender-based limitations if you are female.
Communicate what you need. Practice boundaries. Say no.
Be discerning when choosing to use technology.
Becoming a master of something takes time. Persevere.
Remove yourself from environments that don’t serve you well.
Let go of poor-quality friendships and relationships.
Wear earplugs in the subway. (Adapt your environments to suit you.)
Say ‘thank you’ to Deus every evening when you’re lying in bed. Just a simple thank you, that’s it.
Warmest,
Rachel
