If you clicked on this, some part of you has stopped believing in yourself
lately.
I'm glad you came anyway.
Get comfortable.
Sitting or lying down,
either is fine.
Let your hands rest wherever they land.
Close your eyes,
or let your gaze drop to the floor a little way in front of
you.
Take one slow breath in through your nose...
And let it out through your mouth, long and easy.
One more.
In...
And out.
Let your shoulders come down from your ears.
Most of us have a voice in our heads that keeps score.
It tends to get loud when we're tired or when something hasn't gone our
way.
Listen for it for a moment.
What does it usually say to you?
Maybe "you always mess this up."
Maybe just "who do you think you are."
Notice the tone of it.
It's often sharper than anyone else in your life would ever dare to be
with you.
Now give it a name.
Something a bit silly helps.
"The Grump."
"The Headmaster."
Whatever fits.
You don't have to argue with it.
Just say, quietly, "Oh, that's the Grump again."
Naming it puts a little distance between you and the voice.
The critic has opinions.
Let's look at some facts instead.
Think of one hard thing you've survived.
A loss, maybe, or a year you'd rather forget.
You got through it.
You're here.
Now think of something you learned to do that you couldn't do Driving.
once.
A job.
Cooking one meal really well.
Being a maybe.
parent, It took time and you did it.
And one more.
A moment someone was glad you Even were there.
something small, a friend who called you first.
Hold those three things together for a second.
That's a person who is capable.
Who keeps going.
If your mind wanders back to the list of failures, that's alright.
It's a well-worn road.
Just come back to the evidence.
Picture a close friend coming to you and saying they feel useless.
That they've stopped believing in themselves.
You wouldn't agree with them.
You'd probably sit a bit closer and remind them of who they actually are.
So try saying some of that to yourself now.
In your head, in your own words.
Something like, "You've been through a lot.
You're doing better than you think."
It might feel strange.
Say it anyway.
It gets easier with practice.
Now let your body join in.
Sit up a little taller.
Feel the crown of your head lift toward the ceiling.
Let your chest open, just slightly.
Draw your shoulders back and down.
Lift your chin until it's level.
Notice how that feels.
Maybe a bit exposed.
bit bigger.
This is how someone sits when they believe in themselves.
You the can borrow posture before the feeling fully arrives.
Say this one with me, slowly.
I believe in myself again.
Once more, a little softer.
I believe in myself again.
Just rest here.
Tall and soft at the same time.
You don't have to earn this moment.
Your worth was never something you had to prove.
It was there the whole time, waiting for you to notice it.
Let's come back slowly now.
Move your fingers.
Roll your head gently from side to side.
Take a deep breath in.
And when you're ready, open your eyes.
Keep a bit of that height in your spine as you get up.
The Grump will pipe up again later.
You know its name now, and you know the facts.