I would imagine that all of us have been called names, or labeled by someone else, at sometime in our lives. I'm sure we all probably think back to this happening to us during childhood. Kids are mean! They also have no concept of how the things they say, make others feel. It may not have just been kids. It may have not been only during childhood. It could be teachers, brothers, sisters, other family members. It could be anyone. It could still be happening to some of us. Most people may not verbally label others, but, the fact is, subconsciously, they are probably viewing others in terms of these labels. I am sure that we have all also been guilty of that, at one time or another. Unfortunately, labeling is a learned behavior, and it is difficult, and maybe virtually impossible, to unlearn.
Fat. Ugly. Stupid. Worthless. Crazy. These aren't just names. These are negative labels. Labels can harmful, sometimes robbing us of our self-esteem. Sometimes, we let these labels define who we are. Many people, if they hear these words enough, will start to believe that they are the person that someone has labeled them to be. If you hear enough times that you are stupid, you are likely to start believing it. The same goes for hearing that you are fat, worthless, ugly and crazy. Self-esteem starts to diminish, and sometimes, disappear altogether.
There are positive labels, also. Some people have probably spent their whole lives, labeled as beautiful, intelligent, important, and wise. These people probably have very good self-esteem, as they have been made to believe that they are all of these things. Sometimes, when we believe the worst about ourselves, we compare ourselves to others, only making ourselves feel worse.
Labels can be lifelong. Negative labels are something that we can possibly spend a good part of our lives, learning to overcome. Once it is engrained in our minds, we continue to believe these negative things about ourselves, even if no one has said that to us in a long time. The person who said these things about us, may be long out of our lives, but the memory of hearing those words is still there. The pain of how these words made us feel, is still there. Labels leave scars - some that are very difficult to heal. Some may never heal.
How do we get past these labels? We can't control what others say and do. We know that we can't stop people from looking at us, and labeling us. What we can do, is stop labeling ourselves! I'm guilty of it. You possibly are, too. I have called myself "fat", and I truly believed it. I have called myself "stupid" and truly believed it. I have called myself "ugly" and truly believed it. Did these labels stick with me from the past, because of what others said to me, or about me in the past? Probably so. It's a very strong possibility, that I have carried many of these labels with me, throughout my life. Have you done the same?
We must take a step back, and not let other's opinions of us, define who we are. Just because someone says something about us, does not make it true. We must love ourselves. We must believe the best about ourselves. We must associate with positive people who will bring out the best in us, as we bring out the best of them, in return. We must stick together! Let's remember, to point out positive aspects and attributes of each other. Everyone loves to hear that they are beautiful, that they are smart, that they are important. Let's emphasize these positive traits to each other, and build each other up. Let's become strong and let other's see that they can no longer tear us down, or make us believe bad things about ourselves! Let's be our own best friend, and not our own worst enemy!
Always remember – YOU ARE AMAZING! Go out and make it a great day!
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