24/11/2025
Hereās a thought for a Mondayā¦ labels!
As humans we are obsessed - absolutely obsessed - with labelling everything. I think itās a huge human flaw and is such a huge contributor to our mental health.
We all must fit into boxes. And if we donāt - well we just donāt fit in.
Being a mother/ father is a label and comes with expectations. Being a husband/ wife is a label and comes with expectations. Being a brother, sister, best friend, business partner, colleagueā¦ once we put someone in that label it comes with expectations. Responsibilities we need to meet up to. We look at someone who fits into that and go - well you must act like this. Do this.
But what if we canāt? What if we have different views on what it means to be that label? Are we less of one just because of it?
Autism. ADHD. OCD. Depression. Anxiety. They are all labels too. Yes - they may explain why someone acts the way they do. But they donāt define us. We are all unique!
And then we can be at risk of blame. Blaming the autism. ADHD. Blaming someone for not meeting up to the expectations of a husband/ wife/ mother/ father/ best friend. But where did those expectations come from in the first place?
Why canāt we all just flowā¦ go with life and its ups and downs. Just be and see where it takes us. It would be so much easier to form relationships with those that align with us and then let go of those that donātā¦ wouldnāt it?! If there were no labels, no expectations and less pressure for us all to be something we canāt be or may not even want to be.
Taking this to dogs - our dogs come with so many labels. We all envision the dog of our dreams. The dog we want to take everywhere. We get the āLabradorā because they are a good, easy family dog. We get the āBorder Collieā because we want our next competition agility dog. We get a āShih tzuā because we want our next easy, companion dog. But what if they are not what we expect? Donāt meet that label/ expectation? Instead end up with the label of reactivity? Or anxiety? Or separation anxiety? Or - dare I say - stubborn?!
And then we blame!! We blame ourselves. Blame the breeder? Blame the dog. Blame early experiences. We look for something to blame.
We ALL need to get better at just being! Flowing with life. Less expectations, more seeing what is right in front of us and appreciating whatās there. Not looking for something because of what we label it as. Less pressure all round!
Letās focus more on just being and going with the flow - I truly believe weād all be so much better off for it šš¾.
