Loving yourself
THE predilection of our society to “advise” – to tell us constantly that we’re not quite up to snuff eventually manifests itself in a dark voice that sits on the soul, leeching away happiness with every nasty whisper.
If you’re fed up with this, try these two steps and learn to give yourself a break.
Step 1: Love your wrinkles.
You are not perfect. If you are a person who beats up, robs, or kills others then that needs to change.
But if you are the run- of- the- mill average human being who does the best she can most of the time, the trick is whether you embrace your imperfections or whether you beat yourself up about them.
Think of someone you love. Instead on focusing on their terrific qualities, think of something about them that’s less than perfect. Now, is your view of that person tainted by this idiosyncrasy? Or is it a wrinkle that makes you love the whole even more? Likely it’s the latter.
Use this when you examine yourself. Instead of despairing over those imperfections, embrace them as part of who you are.
Step 2: Recognise that dark whisper.
We all develop patterns of thought that run on in the backs of our mind.
It can sound like a conscience, commenting on everything we do.
However, this voice is a part of our inner selves and we can change what it says.
Sit down with a cup of tea and think about the times when that voice starts telling you how incompetent/ bad/ inferior you are. What triggers it? Is it something you do or hear that starts it?
Once you identify the trigger, look out for it and the next time, force your thoughts away from that destructive nasty whisper and into something positive.