Learning to Acknowledge Your Accomplishments

Have you ever felt like you weren’t good enough? For many of us, a sense of low self-esteem is a bi-product of exposure to abusive people and environments. Negative self-talk and comparing ourselves to others can be a form of internal self-mutilation; abusing ourselves by proxy of our abusers. We diminish our lives and our accomplishments, whether big or small. We “should” on ourselves, through hypercritical thought dialogues that can spiral out of control. These voracious voices demand unreachable levels of perceived perfection, and negate our actual accomplishments.

Each moment you are accomplishing something. You deserve to acknowledge and appreciate yourself.

• Carry a small notebook with you for a full day and write down all of the things you accomplish that day. Thoroughness is the key to this exercise. Some of your entries might include: brushing your teeth, went to work, taking kids to school, went to school, doing the dishes, prayer, hydration, ate a meal, rested, etc.

Affirmation: I am worthy of my appreciation.

Journal Cue: Write a kind letter to yourself about what you are accomplishing in your life, and how these actions benefit you and others.

? Amanda Lee