Reply #10: About shame . . .

[live love laugh]

I have done some soul searching recently because shame has been a theme in my life for so long. I often feel bad about myself and I realized that some childhood abuse issues have a lot to do with it. I have somehow internalized the shame of what I felt as a child and perpetuated that feeling by doing things that I feel guilty about. It seems simple to say but it has taken me forever to realize that I have to stop doing things that make me feel guilty or ashamed. I have to be honest at all costs--or else I descend into a shame spiral. (That term shame spiral makes me laugh--I remember if from the movie Clueless.) The other thing that helps me cast off shame is trying to remember how precious and fleeting life is and that I am not here to live up to anybody else's expectations or standards.

Shame is a powerful emotion and though I am not free of it, I am in the process of moving beyond it. I hope you can join me on the journey.