I Used to Doubt Myself
That is what happens when our view of the world is slightly different than others. Their responses can influence our self-esteem. We look for validation from our world. If we don’t get it, the immediate thought is to think that something is odd about us. When we are hesitant to be fully ourselves, we rob the world of our very best.
You could describe me as sensitive. As a child, I seemed to see things that others didn’t see and feel things that others didn’t’ feel.
For example, a robin built her nest in the crook of one of the downspouts of our home. I watched those robins build the nest twig by twig. I remember when the female laid her eggs. The first year, the eggs were not healthy. The female through them out and my dad cleaned them up. The following year, the eggs were healthy and the robins had two baby birds.
I watched the adult birds feed and care for the babies. They shielded them from the rain and the heat of the sun. They watched over them as they grew. I was obsessed with the safety of those baby robins. Then one Sunday afternoon the babies left the nest. They fell out of the nest and hopped across our driveway to the narrow green space between our house and our neighbors.
On this Sunday afternoon, all our friends were at our house playing in the backyard with my brother and me. We were having a ball, squealing, laughing, and playing. I could not keep my eyes off those baby birds. When they started hopping away from the protection of the nest, I watched their every move. I don’t exactly remember how the situation went from zero to 100 so quickly, but I remember crying hysterically and saying that our dog Whitey was going to eat the birds.
Embarrassment and Shame
My mother came outside and told everyone to go home. Our neighbor and her daughter came out back, too. They and my mother stood separated by our fence and discussed my “overreaction.”
My brother was mad at me because I spoiled the fun. My best friend’s sister always brings it up when we see each other. It’s been over 50 years since that happened and she still says, “we all had to go home because of you!” She also adds in a mocking voice “Whitey’s going to eat the bird… Whitey’s going to eat the bird.”
For years the memory of this event and the backlash I received haunted me. I learned to believe that demonstrating sensitivity and compassion was not valued. As a result, I stopped showing the outside world the compassionate side of my nature. Only my true inner circle would see the true me.
I realized, however, that if I didn’t flip my own belief and create a new one, I would not reach the people who needed this message the most.
The same compassion that caused me to cry for help for those baby birds, is the same compassion that caused me to advocate for a client who was strung out and needing hospitalization.
My Voice Didn’t Change
Years ago, I worked as a case manager for a mental health agency. My client, Susie (name changed) called me to tell me she was sick and needed help. She had been binging on heroin and crack for weeks. She smoked crack to get high and then shot heroin to come down. Now she was physically sick and needed to go to a hospital. My supervisor would not allow me to put myself in that position.
I told Susie that she would need to get to the emergency room herself. She could call me when she got to the hospital and I would come. Susie made it to the emergency room and called me. She was sick. I recall looking at her and having my heart go out to her. Susie was an amazing woman whose past held her hostage. She had stayed clean for years and was working towards a college degree. Unfortunately, she doubted herself.
The ER doctor was going to discharge her back to the streets. He said that she needed to be in rehab and there were no available beds.
I was not seven years old and my mother was not there to send everyone home. So, I told the doctor “No.” He was not going to discharge her. Several nurses looked at me. I told him to call the medical director for the rehab program. I added please and thank you to my directive. After about 20 minutes, a nurse called me to the phone. The medical director spoke with me directly. She was familiar with Susie and knew me from the agency. She would accept Susie as a patient in the rehab unit.
I could advocate for Susie because I had stopped doubting the value of my compassionate self. It’s amazing what we can achieve when we change our perspective.
Are You Hiding a Genuine, Valuable Part of Yourself Out of Fear?
When we live mindfully every day, we become more attuned to our true selves. We also become aware of how our reactions and interactions with the world influences our beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors. This is one reason I created an experience that will legit change your life.
Living Mindfully Every Day is a 90 minute live experience that will help you to become more aware of how you interact and react to the world around you. We will guide you to pay attention in a certain way to notice nuances you may have missed before. This will give you the information and confidence to change your perspective.
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