Sharing – “You need to be kinder to yourself Jonny”

This is something so many of us deal with. In fact I was in conversation during our weekly #SexAbuseChat on Twitter talking about something similar:

““You need to be kinder to yourself, Jonny.”

Those were the words of virtually every single mental health professional I saw in my 20s.

I knew they were right. I had always been extremely self-critical.

Yet since a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder led to being hospitalised just before my 21st birthday the self-critic within me simply worsened.

I felt incredibly invalid. I couldn’t even bear to press the button at a set of traffic lights in order to stop traffic and cross the road. Why should someone give way to me?”

This might seem over the top, but there are so many survivors who feel like their issues aren’t as important as other people’s issues, or that they don’t deserve to go to therapy, or many other ways that this lack of self worth can play out.

But, we are worth it. No, we aren’t perfect. No one is. But we are not “less-than”, we are just as human as anyone else. If we can look at other people, and their faults, and feel compassion for them, why are we unable to do the same for ourselves?

We are no different, no matter the mental health struggle we may have at the moment.

Be kind to yourself. That’s the best self-care there is.

https://www.rethink.org/news-and-stories/blogs/2020/05/you-need-to-be-kinder-to-yourself-jonny/