In a previous post, this week, I mentioned that we should understand our own worth and the worth of those around us, outside of what someone can do for us or what we can do for others. This is especially important to those who may suffer from depression, to understand that we have worth, even when we are unable to be productive, or when we are down and may not be that much fun to be around.
But how do we begin to understand this sense of worth? One of the things that has helped me to begin to appreciate my own worth, is to truly contemplate that fact that everyone, EVERYONE, carries a peice of the Divine (however you recognize it) within them. There is a purpose for all beings, and this is a difficult theory to accept when it comes to some things, but it is true. If I seek to honor the Divine, and my belief is that the Divine Spirit of the Universe and All Creation is immanent, then I must accept that every being has this energy within them. (Yes, even those that challenge us, those that we cannot see eye to eye with and those that seem unbearable, and even ourselves)
Begin to work to acknowledge this Divine energy within your thoughts; I started this process with practicing gratitude. If we look hard enough (and I do realize this can definitely be some hard work, when we are struggling with things like depression) we can find things to be thankful for and something that is a positive. For instance, in recent years, politics have become very polarized and quite hateful and there have been some people displaying downright ugly actions and opinnions. However, I can be grateful that I have a reminder of what I do not want to be, a reminder to be better and be aware of how my words and actions effect others.
When I am down, and this usually means down on myself, I try to find something about myself that I like, sometimes this may be something as small as I like the way my hair looks at that particular moment or that the ink in my tattoos has held as well as it has. It doesn’t matter in that moment if it is a shallow thing or not so long as we find something to like and appreciate about ourself or others. In looking for these things we are working to honor the Divine in ourself and others.
What things are you grateful for today? What positive can you find where you are at in this moment? Take some time and make a list, you might surprise yourself and have a longer list than you think.
As you find things, especially about yourself that you like or are grateful for, tell yourself, this is part of your worth. What makes you different from others? This may be one of the things that makes you feel down on yourself but they are part of what make you unique and that uniqueness is part of your inherent worth. If you weren’t here to see things from your own distinctive perspective there are things that others may never notice, because you wouldn’t be there to mention it. That individual point of view is part of what makes you, you and thus makes you worthwhile.
The Frith Wytch 