Do you….love you?

Try this exercise.

  1. Read this poem by Abdullah Shaoib from the top to the bottom.
  2. When you get to the end, pause, and notice how you feel.  Do you feel light or heavy? Tight or relaxed? Energized or fatigued?  Are there other feelings you notice?
  3. Read the poem from the bottom to the top
  4. When you get to the end, pause, and notice how you feel.  Do you feel light or heavy? Tight or relaxed? Energized or fatigued?  Are there other feelings you notice?

Which way of viewing yourself makes you feel resilient?  Which way drains your energy?

Some of us may have developed a self-view that says we’re “ugly” in some way, so it may be difficult to acknowledge that we are indeed “beautiful.”  The good news is that we can change how we see ourselves and experience greater happiness in life.  We live so as to do no “self-harm.”  This exercise “Seeing the Good in Yourself,” is meant to help you notice your self-view and if needed, take steps to change your thinking. The capacity to love others starts with loving yourself.

The Power of Loving Yourself

I’m very ugly

So don’t try to convince me that

I am a very beautiful person.

Because at the end of the day

I hate myself in every single way

And I’m not going to lie to myself by saying

There is beauty inside of me that matters

So rest assured I will remind myself

That I am a worthless, terrible person

And nothing you say will make me believe

I still deserve love

Because no matter what

I am not good enough to be loved

And I am in no position to believe that

Beauty does exist within me

Because whenever i look in the mirror, I always think

Am I as ugly as people say?

— Abdullah Shaoib

 

2021-08-03T21:52:50+00:00