I was reading an article in Psychology Today this week in which the author was talking about an experiment she did in a therapy group.
She asked each member to mention three things they liked about themselves. As she expected, the majority of them struggled with her request.
She wrote that most people who are given this assignment find it challenging. On the other hand, if she asks the opposite question, the result is quite different.
She says when she asks people to come up with negative things about themselves they almost always can go on and on until she has to stop them.
And, I myself have been in groups where the same experiment took place. And the results were always the same.
So why do we humans find it so difficult to see the good within ourselves? We can blurt out the negative without hesitation, yet stutter when asked to look at the good.
Is it because we think we should be doing better? Is it because we haven't lived up to our expectations? Do we feel as if we're bragging if we recognize the good and worthwhile within us? Or is it that much of the human race has lousy self-esteem?
I've never seen or read a satisfactory answer to this conundrum. But, as a person in recovery, I believe that if I wear life loosely and don't take things too seriously I'll feel good about myself most of the time.
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