How do you view yourself? Sometimes I think we see ourselves as if we are looking in those distorted mirrors found at some fairgrounds which make us look fat, skinny, crooked etc. The fairground mirrors are amusing because we know they’re not showing the real us. Often, though, we don’t even realise that the way we see ourselves is distorted.
Past events, particularly those early in life, are likely to have had a huge influence on our view of ourselves. Negative events, including words spoken to us (especially by parents or other authority figures), major or repeated disappointments and failures, can cause us to think of ourselves poorly long after these events happened.
This is especially true if events were traumatic or we weren’t adequately supported when they occurred. Learning how to effectively overcome negative effects of the past is essential if we are to become our ‘real’ selves and live the sort of fulfilling lives we have been created to live.
Do you know you are wonderfully and astonishingly made and of great significance in the world? Whenever you think of yourself differently from this, you are looking in a distorted mirror. The ‘real you’ is beautiful and valuable. You can learn to believe it!