It starts with a word.
The word that pokes fun at your appearance, actions & feelings.
It might seem like nothing & you treat it as nothing.
But what happens when it’s all you hear? All the harsh words that later become actions.
Those actions catch the attention of the wrong types of people that take advantage of your vulnerability.
You can tell them “no” you can tell them to “stop” but they won’t listen
or they pile on more words of harshness.
The words that not only follow you wherever you go but repeat when looking in the mirror.
How do you make them stop? How do you make yourself stop?
2 comments
The words are torment. Making them stop and making myself to stop has been the ongoing work of my diligent therapist. She has helped a lot with the words but there is still work to do.
People can be mean and cruel, but we’re our own worst critics.
Some people know bits and pieces about you, but you… You live with yourself. Every stupid thing, accident, mistake, error, and failure you’ve ever made, you’re aware of. Not only witnessing, but sometimes being directly responsible for. Ofcourse once others start saying something mean, you’ll jump on the bandwagon and start beating yourself up. Their words become your words. And every fault pulls at another, dragging up a giant web of self-doubt, criticism, and hate.
You can ask them to stop, but people have free will. They will do as they please. You can’t control that. But, you can negotiate with yourself, and influence your own perspective. Acknowledging flaws and mistakes, trying to improve. Being a better person than the you of yesterday – because you want to be, and you believe you can be. Gain confidence and comfort in yourself, and those words will have less of an impact. Because when all is said and done, the only opinion of yourself you should really care about is your own. Just, try not to be blind to your positives.