I’ve started thinking there’s something wrong with the way I think about myself. When did I learn that I should hate myself? When did I learn to disregard all the reasons to see beauty and value in myself? To see the talent, the lovely, the wonderfully quirky? To see myself as a friend who I would want to encourage and support instead of an enemy to hurt.
And, it makes me feel sad that my 10-year-old daughter is learning this negative self-speak from me. She feels terrible at times, with the way she looks and acts. If I change the way I think about myself, then, perhaps, she can learn that from me as well. I’m going to start today.
I’m starting a diet … but it’s not what you think. You gotta put all thoughts of food aside. This isn’t about food. It goes like this:
Anything that makes me feel good about myself –
START DOING IT.
Anything that makes me feel bad about myself –
STOP DOING IT.
This diet is simple and, I feel, might actually work. As you may or may not know, I’ve spent a lot of my life being critical of myself. The list of reasons I should dislike myself is large and isn’t based on anything really true.
My first effort will be a letter from myself to myself. A love letter. I’ll actually stamp it and mail it.
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Whattayathink? Let me know. I’m interested in hearing your take on this.
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Follow Your North Star
This past month has been one where I’ve felt a little lost, even while I felt like I knew exactly where I was going. I did all the ‘right’ things; crossing all the T’s and dotting all the I’s but I felt a little empty and inadequate at the end of every day. Too much on my plate and no brakes to say ‘no.’ I was sorry every week to miss the opportunity to say ‘Hey’ to you guys.
4 COMMENTS
Tiffany
Good for you. I think I will try this myself.
Wendy
I haven’t mailed the letter yet but have gotten a couple of blank scrapbooks for us to have fun in. We’ve both done this little test called “Strength-Finder” or “Strength-Explorer” for the kids version. I think it might be good to do a page on each on. Or at least the top three.
candice
I found this site just as it was planned. This day February 1st 2012. I wasn’t going to read it, my thoughts, another someone giving their thoughts on a diet, but I continued to read. These words struck my inner being
Anything that makes me feel good about myself –
START DOING IT.
Anything that makes me feel bad about myself –
STOP DOING IT.
Thank you!
Tricia
“When did I learn that I should hate myself? When did I learn to disregard all the reasons to see beauty and value in myself? To see the talent, the lovely, the wonderfully quirky? To see myself as a friend who I would want to encourage and support instead of an enemy to hurt.”
Wendy, while viewing your portfolio I found your words. Your words above caused me to weep…tears that have been tucked away for many, many years, when at a very early and tender age I learned degrading self-speak from the words spoke to me. I will begin to move toward seeing the beauty in me that God saw when he dreamed me into being. Thank you for sharing. Your soul is also full of beauty.
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