The world teaches us to be all kinds of things, but very rarely are we taught how to be ourselves. We are taught to be on time. We are taught to be moral. We are taught to be consumers. We are taught to be professional, attentive, apologetic, submissive, but by God whatever you do, don’t be you! I learned as a very young girl in a very conservative church how to distrust my instincts, how to “ward off the flesh”, how to double back on myself, how to second guess my gut…this was exhausting and stifling, not to mention painful. For all people and perhaps women especially, we are taught both in religious settings and secular settings alike that we can never rest in who we are, but must always be striving to be that idealized model of a person…skinnier, more refined, more successful, more devout, etc. And we are sold all of the products to reinforce this feeling of not being enough. Take this diet pill and be 10 pounds thinner. Buy this cell phone and be more connected. Purchase this car and look wealthier.
Please click here to read the rest of this blog at Dr. Sarah Bollinger‘s website.