[CedarS]

One Hour.

Surely we deserve that.

We can give ourselves the gift of one hour.

One blessed hour while we ease up on ourselves. Haven't we punished ourselves enough?

The burdens we carry, surely some can be laid down for just an hour, while we stretch our back and look off into the distance. While we take a break, a breather.

One Hour.

One hour to lay off. Quit. Halt, cease, and desist. One hour without speaking to ourselves so cruelly. One hour while we just plain don't call ourselves and our actions names.

One Hour.

Maybe we cannot yet actually speak to and of ourselves in positive terms, maybe we can. Yet surely we can take a beginning step. No mean insulting abusive derogatory language allowed as we move through this blessed hour.

If we notice ourselves returning to the familiar habit of calling ourselves names, we can just gently note that fact and move that on.

One hour when the cruel stuff is safely contained in our file cabinet. One hour while all the degrading things said to us are -not- carried by us.

One hour while we do not invite any abusive voices into our minds for tea.

We have been trained to bully ourselves by bullies. We know how to be mean to ourselves. We got that lesson down pat.

Time for being sweet on ourselves. Tender, compassionate, boldly assertive.

Take an hour and get a peek at how cool you really are.

Sarah,

Very good post! ! I like this a Lot!! ! !!

SongBird

[Rapunzel]

That is beautiful. It's beyond my ability to let it in and accept, but I can appreciate the message, and I like what you are saying, and hope that others here are able to give themselves an hour.

[Fuzzybear]

Truly beautiful, thank you (((((((( Sarah ))))))))

(((((((((Sarah))))))))))))
That's an awesome post! Yeah, I gotta try that. I keep hurting my own feelings and I'm really getting tired of it.
This post has made me step back and seriously consider setting a timer for an hour and practice what you've written.
Thank you for this.

[Myzen]

Sarah,

You have encapsulated both my experience and my heartfelt wish. Like everyone in our situation, I would want my self attacking mind to let me alone for a while.

By describing it so graphically, and seriously, you make me feel that I am not alone with my tormentors. This is the best thing we can do for each other IMHO, remind each other that we are not alone.

Since being here at PC I have at last started to realise that there are others like me in the world. By knowing that some people truly understand our challenges, it makes it easier to deal with those people in our everyday lives who haven't a clue what is going on for us.

Thank you,

Myzen,

[CedarS]

Thanks on back to everyone, wonderful today to read all the feedback.

Myzen, I so very much agree, and your post is exceptionally written.

I think a main abuse technique is to convince someone that they are all alone, that only they have the experience they do, that their reaction is somehow suspect and a sign of weakness. Maybe for those of us who have gone through this, we've been in a sense trained to do it to ourselves too, and it also is a familiar, even though painful, place.

We can change our habits, change can happen. We can ease up on ourselves.

By reclaiming ourselves, our mind included, we are taking a stand for ourselves. No more abuse allowed.

Sarah