Have you ever fallen into a cycle of feeling bad about yourself?
Maybe you have, put on a few pounds, and the internal criticism begins.
Or maybe those crows' feet are becoming more noticeable.
I define self-loathing as a continuous cycle of negative thoughts and emotions regarding one’s self. A constant bombardment of negative thoughts that cause feelings of shame can indicate self-loathing.
Take a minute to look at yourself in the mirror. What are your thoughts?
Are you picking on yourself?
What is your opinion of yourself in all areas of your life?
Increasing your awareness of yourself can help you grow mentally, physically, and spiritually.
Shame in any area of your life will cause you to hide. It will stop you from growing and moving forward. Shame hinders us from living a life of freedom.
What is your opinion of yourself?
As a mom, wife, son or daughter, boss, or employee?
Your opinion of yourself will determine how you feel and what you do.
Self-loathing ignites feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.
It will be challenging to make positive changes if you are thinking negative thoughts.
One of the many reasons this becomes problematic is that we make the mistake of believing that our thoughts about ourselves are facts and not just observations.
When we do not take intentional steps to think positively about ourselves, our brains will default to the negative.
The negative thoughts you think about yourself are just thoughts. You do not have to believe them; you can think differently about yourself.
Can you make a list of 20 things you appreciate about yourself?
If this is hard, it may be because you have been practicing self-loathing.
If you can't come up with 20, that is okay. Come up with as many as you can, and then try to add to the list every day. It takes practice, and it may take you time to discover all 20, but I promise you this exercise is so worth it.
Appreciating yourself is the antidote to self-loathing.
You can kick self-loathing in the teeth by deciding what you want to think about yourself and then practicing thinking about your appreciation list instead of the negative thoughts.
See you next week!
Roanna
P.S. If you are a Christian, remember what God has said about you:
Psalm 139:14
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful.”
2 Cor. 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone; the new is here!”
Eph. 2:10
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”