It’s worth trying these!

I went to a support group tonight for women who have experienced domestic violence.  What a great group of people there tonight.  Some women felt comfortable to contribute their experiences, some just nodded in agreement and even the ones that were quiet and kept their eyes looking down at the floor contributed as well in their own way, reminding me of the many times I have felt just like that…quiet, removed, isolated, sad, lonely, fearful…the possible feelings are many.

We were talking about ‘Worth’ tonight and 'Self-esteem'.  We were asked how we could help ourselves to feel better when we are going through times of feeling down.  Here are some of the suggestions:

• Try writing a letter to yourself when you are proud of something you have done, how you handled a difficult situation or figured out how to feel good about yourself and refer to this collection of letters when you are down.
• Make a list of what you like -- your favourite colour, a favourite dress you had as a child, your favourite smells etc…this exercise really helps you to get in touch with what makes you feel good.
• Remember that you have some basic rights as a human being --  the right to be you, to put yourself first, to be safe, to love and be loved, to be treated with respect, to be human (not perfect), the right to be angry and protest if you are treated unfairly or abusively by anyone, the right to your own privacy, your own opinions (to express them and be taken seriously), to earn and control your own money, to ask questions about anything that affects your life and the right to make decisions that affect you.  You have the right to grow and change (and that includes changing your mind), the right to say NO, the right to make mistakes, the right NOT to be responsible for other adult’s problems and the right not to be liked by everyone.  You have the right to control your life and to change it if you are not happy with it as it is.

Many of us had to really think about that Bill of Rights because some of those rights can be really challenging.

Anyways, it’s been a long day but I wanted to share my thoughts.

Take care.