We struggle with self worth.
We struggle to tell ourselves that we are good enough, strong enough, smart enough, thin enough, successful enough, genuine enough.
We wonder if we are worthy of kindness, of love, of wealth, of happiness, of connection.
This is a saddening disconnect. We have stopped trusting who we are as humans and given far too much power to outside sources. Where has this disconnect stemmed from?
I believe the responsibility lies heavily on societal teachings. We are drastically influenced by the world we live in; inundated with messages telling us who we should be, how we should look, what we should eat, and how much money we need to make. We are told that if we don’t make a certain amount of figures a year, we will not be worthy of respect; that if we are not amazing parents, that we are failures; that if we do not fit into the perfect mold of beauty and slimness then we are not working hard enough.
If this is a societal problem, then why are we taking it on so personally? Why do we enable society’s pressures to sink us and makes us small, when we are capable (and needing) of so much more?
I’ve been thinking a lot about empowerment lately.
I was recently honoured to be a part of a “Food & Body” workshop where I witnessed some truly deepening and releasing work that some amazing women were willing to do. The question of self-worth came up a lot for many of us and I kept landing on the same thought:
No matter where you came from or what you were taught, YOU get to decide what happens each and every day moving forward. It is entirely up to YOU.
So much of what happens every day is about decision-making. We can decide every morning to put our best self forward, to choose a healthy lifestyle and good food, to be kind to others and nurturing towards our selves. We can decide to use our voice, unleash our strengths, and be fuelled by passion.
But most of the time, we don’t.
Let’s change that.
Be Worth It.
Changing Your Mindset Around Worthiness
Giving Your Self Permission: Here’s the truth: you have an absolute right to give yourself permission to be your entire self. Being “worth” everything you already are is kind of silly. You are. Therefore, you are worthy. If you’d like to invite more worthiness/respect/gratitude into your life, put on your fierce pants and open those doors your own damn self!
Making Your Self a Priority: Mothers, in particular, struggle with this one. We put others before us time and time again, telling ourselves that our loved ones matter more and their needs are more important than ours. Who decided that anyways? You can show up in a better, truer form, by simply taking care of yourself. In making your self a priority, you can teach those around you that they can put themselves first too. Full circle.
Accepting the Process: There is just no easy road to thriving health (mind, body, & soul). If you think you have found the easy route, then you have chosen the wrong one, I hate to tell you. Accept that making big change in your life will take time and patience and honesty. Try to be open to what comes at you along the way.
Inviting Pleasure, Passion, & Fun: Stop being a stick in the mud! If you’ve ever thought that simply because you grew up, you are no longer allowed to have fun, to play, to enjoy being silly, that is just 100% pure horse kaka. Do things that you love; that make your heart soar and energize you. By filling up our pleasure centres in the brain, we are actually contributing to cognitive health. And your heart will feel better too, trust me.
Ask Yourself: “Why wouldn’t I be worth it?”: Just think about that for a minute. Who ever decided that questioning our self-worth should become common practice? We are worthy of everything this life has to offer. Each and every one of us. We are worthy of love, of pain, of kindness, of struggle, of respect, of divide, of beauty, of every experience (the good and the bad). We are human and being human makes us worthy of this life and all that it has to offer.
YOU ARE WORTHY. Period.