Explore - a closer look at wellbeing

‘I am strong and I should handle it'

‘We are all the same and I should measure up’

Be Kind (To Yourself)

37 He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’

Matthew 22:37-39 (NRSV)

'Due to our lack of complete trust in God's revelation that we are made in the divine image and likeness, most of us get caught up in trying to be extra ordinary….

Wicks, R, (1992:15) Touching the Holy : Ordinariness, Self-esteem, and Friendship

…We become insecure and are tempted to rest our sense of self on something less than God's love for us. As a result we waste our energy worrying about whether we are liked, respected, effective, or as good as other people.


Set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.....do not neglect the gift which was given you....watch your life and doctrine closely.... persevere in them. 1 Timothy 4

Circle of Grace - Trevor Hudson

Positive circle of spiritual self-esteem…

If only we would properly attend to God's gifts to us and in us! Then self awareness and healthy self love could form a positive circle of spiritual self-esteem and ultimately be a source of strength for others as well as ourselves. Will we have the trust to do this? Will we take the time?


Whose and Who

Personal awareness of self before a loving God is also important because it helps self confidence to grow and be more resistant to the assaults of failure or rebuff. Thus, it allows our character to develop and it enables the presence of God with in us to be felt in a good way by others.


25 Principles of self-respect

and clarity:

When I have made a mistake or feel anxious, I need to separate what I have done from who I am.

When I feel badly about myself as a person, I must see if I am embracing an irrational belief about myself.

1

45 Principles of Self-respect

and Clarity:

Since I am the one person I will have an intimate relationship with for my entire life I need to take care of myself at least as well as I would care for others.

3I must be sensitive to irrational thoughts and willing to challenge and dispute them.

5 Principles of self-respect and clarity:

5I need to be aware of depression producing, personally devaluing styles of thinking .

Size distortion Negative contamination Awfulizing Being overserious

Not the end of the world:

Someone is angry with me; I make a mistake; Some people see some of my actions as failures;

I temporarily avoid some problems;

Not the end of the world: Others are better at what they do

then I am; Some people misunderstand my

intentions or don't like me; Certain individuals don't take me

seriously or may even laugh at me;

Persons say negative things about me to my face or behind my back

“Maybe we can clear our minds of unnecessary negativity and storm our hearts with appropriate biblical images of hope…. This will turn out not only to be exhilarating for us, but it will also be a guiding light to others who wish to seek a deep vitality for themselves but are too afraid because of past hurts and failures”

“Living …with a view of self that is any less than God's

view of us, God who wrote our names on the palms of his hands, is unnecessarily

tragic and sad. If we can remember this each day no matter how we feel or what is facing us, we can then be

as spiritually audacious as God has intended us to be

all along”

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Education

Explore - a closer look at wellbeing