What do you think of you?

Self worth is the sense of ones own value

Our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are related to the way we view our worthiness and value.

Often in our dysfunctional, achievement and status obsessed culture, we base our view and value of self on accomplishments and production, rather than on our character.

We judge ourselves by methods of comparison, measuring our worth by success and competition with others. Are we ahead/behind, above/below in whatever area we are critiquing

Some examples of means by which we judge/compare ourselves

appearance, income, who you know, achievements etc.

but...if we take a step back and think about what truly matters

kindness, compassion, empathy, respect for self & others

Each of us is a full, complete, human being deserving of love and respect

• The first step in building self-worth is to stop comparing yourself to others and critically evaluating your every move.

It’s easy (and encouraged by the messages in media, and the pressures of society) to get caught up in chasing achievements, status, money and material things—especially when these things are highly valued by those around us and by society in general. Often those beliefs are reinforced by our caregivers as children/adolescents and internalized as we enter adulthood.

• Second, we need to work on identifying & challenging that critical inner voice

We all have an inner critic, and at times, the inner critic seems to be in charge of our thoughts.

The inner critic may be influenced by a combination of factors including things we heard from parents, past relationships, and social pressures.

If we pay too much attention to this inner critic, we are at risk of believing all he/she/they are telling us even though most of it is really off base

• So how about try this...

Over the next little while, pay close attention to the feelings you have and ask yourself what those feeling tell you about your thoughts about yourself.

Notice when your inner critic starts with the criticisms and make pause for a moment. Ask yourself whether the belief is based on facts, whether it is kind or based on relevant truth (things that are current, pertain to this moment, this situation)

If the answer is NO, feel free to challenge the inner critic & show him/her/them the door!

Remember that no matter what you do or don’t do, you are worthy and valuable

and since it is worth repeating...

Each of us is a full, complete human being deserving of love and respect