|  | The Wisdom of a Bumper Sticker
I recently saw the following bumper sticker:
Don't believe everything you think.
I was stunned at its simple message. How many times do we think we know the truth about ourself based on false information?
- Most of us, when we were children, believed everything our parents said. A recently laid-off client told me that when he received a poor grade in 7th grade, his dad told him he would "never amount to anything." In his current anguish of being unemployed, those words have come back to haunt him. He now realizes that he has been operating with those low expec
 tations of himself his whole life.
- A couple has "communication" issues. When either is critical of the other, they each take it personally and get defensive. When they finally figured out that they were taking the others' criticism as truth rather than opinion, their self-esteem strengthened and they were able to rid their discussions of blaming and defensiveness.
- A 40-something woman was repeatedly told she was fat by her weight-obsessed mother. She has always been within five pounds of a healthy weight and yet because of her mother's words, she realizes she sees herself as obese whenever she looks in the mirror.
Do you see yourself in any of these examples? Most of us believe what we think about ourselves is true. Yet, is it really? Self care may include an honest evaluation of what you think about yourself and an exploration of how those negative beliefs evolved. You may find that some were based on false information and it is time to figure out your own truth.
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I have two things on which I could use some help:
- If you have a self care tip you would like to share, please tell me about it. After more than 18 months of writing these tips, I'd welcome your suggestions! If I use your tip, I will be happy to mention your name and a link to your website if you wish.
- One of my intentions for this coming year is to grow this weekly tip mailing list. If you enjoy receiving Self Care, please consider suggesting it to someone else or forwarding it on to a person you think might appreciate it. If you are on Facebook, please "like" Karen Rowinsky Counseling Services and suggest others sign-up for the weekly tip.
Thanks for your help!
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