Don’t Give Your Power Away

It’s easy to say ‘don’t give your power away.’  But if you’ve never really felt entitled to asking for what you need; if no one taught you to value yourself you wouldn’t feel you have any power to begin with. So, let’s me explain a bit more and then maybe the statement  -Don’t Give Your Power Away – will make more sense.

Who wouldn’t struggle to feel confident if the key people in their lives didn’t model and reinforce good communication, self-respect, solid boundaries , and good self-care?

Who on earth wouldn’t feel increasingly anxious when their approach to the world is to tune out automatically to their feelings; to numb themselves from their awareness of stress and insecurity and confusion with food, drinking, drugs, t.v., internet etc.?

You’re not broken, simply misinformed and under-educated in the basic life skills we all need to feel solid and confident in ourselves. And judging from the hundreds of millions of people worldwide who struggle with addictions and dysfunctional relationships you’re not alone.

If you just bury your head and hope for the best because you’ve told yourself there’s nothing you can do – or because perhaps others have told you you’re not worthy or capable of the things you most desire you are allowing yourself to stay stuck in irrational thinking that has nothing at all to do with the present day and what you could truly achieve. 

Your life is out of control when you live from this mindset.

You’re putting your happiness and joy and peace and fulfillment in the hands of everyone you come into contact with, which, inadvertently, is the reason that those who use food to cope also often use the coping strategy of isolation and avoidance.  It’s easier to not have to deal with people if you don’t trust yourself to take care of yourself when you feel the niggle arise.

I want to encourage you to stop at least twice a day and just ask yourself:

• “Am I feeling at all unsettled (or thinking of using my coping strategy or actually using it right now)?”
• “What might be triggering that feeling or the need to check out?”
• “What am I telling myself about that situation or about me?”

And if you’d like to get help and support and good solid simple tools to change the answers let me know.

Love Michelle
mmorand@cedriccentre.com