Recently I’ve written about the value of self-esteem insurance.  Access your strengths first.  Admit your weaknesses second.

Bad Habit, Deep Roots

Friday while helping friends move I saw Marla’s Caribbean Cuisine.  I wanted a menu.

For no apparent reason when I pulled into the parking lot I thought to myself, “I’ll just say I just moved into the neighborhood. They’ll gladly give me a takeout menu.”

It made no sense.
– If they had takeout menus, they would gladly give me one.
– If they did not, saying I was new to the neighborhood would not create one.

Last week I wrote that self-esteem insurance would protects us against inevitable emotional pain and loss in case of an “accident”.

I would like that self-esteem insurance to be the best.  I recommended “Triple A” Coverage”.

“Triple A” Coverage”
A – Access your strengths
A – Admit your weaknesses
A – Accept help from others

This week I’ll reveal practical ways that “Triple A” Coverage” helps me and recommend ways that it can help you too.

Assess Your Strengths With A Reliable Tool

Note: This is Part 2 of a two-part series.  If you have not read Part 1 you can find it here.

What kind of insurance do you value?
What kind of insurance would you like someone to invent?

I would invent foolproof self-esteem insurance. 

Self-esteem insurance would protects us against inevitable emotional pain and loss in case of an “accident”.

A self-esteem accident might include:
When we hurt someone’s feelings, or some else hurts us
When we use hurtful words; or others wound us with their words.
When we wound or are wounded with inconsiderate actions, intentional or not.

Intro: I am not a trained or educated expert regarding insurance.

Insurance transfers of the risk of a loss, from one to another, in exchange for payment.

For instance, I carry auto insurance.  Auto insurance protects us against financial loss in case one of the cars we own is involved in a car accident (or similar incident).  We chose an insurance company that we pay a fee in case we have an accident.

There are many kinds of insurance available for consumers.  

Six common types of insurance are:
– Auto insurance
– Health insurance
– Home insurance
– Life insurance
– Property insurance
– Unemployment insurance

How are you feeling?  Maybe you’re doing great; maybe not.  Many times I feel like that swan in the middle: Everyone is heading in one direction except me.

Sometimes it’s hard to keep focused on the best things in life while every message in print or via the media seems to tell me that what I have is not good enough.

Know what I mean?

In my heart I know I’m heading the right way.  For the last several years I have embraced the fact that I am unique.  I may not always get it right, but sometimes it’s great to be different.

I’m a mystery. I’m an anomaly.  I’m unique.  I often choose a road that seems different than the roads others travel or think I should travel.

It seems like the greatest psychologists, analysts, and detectives the world has ever know would have a field day with me.

Why do I do what I do?

It’s obvious that we self-reflect when we make mistakes.  Why?  Why?  Wby did I do THAT?

Self-reflection and assessment is common, and normal, at least for mentally healthy people.

Embrace Yourself!

Late Spring is a time for renewal.  Everything in my garden is coming alive again.  It’s a great time for reflection and self assessment.  Through the month of June I’m writing about the importance of embracing yourself, the real, the whole you.

Gathering into yourself all the pieces of you.

Embrace Yourself!

Note – No theft nor harm intended.  I’ll gladly give credit to the photographer[s] and owner[s].    I found the photos in this series attached to a file called cool-images4121_pps.

CUTTING – AFTER A BREAKUP

THE QUESTION: Our son’s girlfriend broke up with him about a year ago. He doesn’t show any signs moving on with his life. He cuts on his arm. It looks so awful. He doesn’t date. What can I do with him?

OUR REPLY: “The breakup of a relationship is almost always very painful to at least one partner, and you did the right thing by looking for help. God does care very deeply about your son, and God doesn’t want him to spend the rest of his life believing something about himself that isn’t true. He has a right to grieve. He will get through this painful time. Remind him that you care and that he does not have to go through his grief alone.”

“My friend cuts.” “Our daughter cuts.” “My son cuts.” “I cannot understand why. It’s so disgusting!”

There are many methods to self-injure.  I’ll not list them all.  I’ll use “cutting” as a synonym for all forms of self-injury.

There are reasons people self-injure, I’ll mention one.  Most people that I know would say that they began cutting as way to “relieve the pain”.

While I remember glorying in my wounds and trying to get attention for damage that I caused myself, most “cutters” do not cut to get attention.  Contrary to any preconceived notions you may have cutting is seldom a reflecting of suicidal thoughts.  Instead, the cuts reflect intense emotional pain. Pain that seems uncontrollable.

She sat with her back to the wall.  Slumped over with what looked like the weight of her world on her shoulders.  Tenderhearted and caring she was weighed down with pain.

She acted tough because she was strong, but even tough people can be tender and she was both.

Dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt.  She had painted her nails with black nail polish.  She looked “goth” long before “goth” became a fashion statement, trendy and a feature on SNL.

While it’s not a requirement to talk in our TreeHouse support groups most teens take advantage of the opportunity to talk and to listen, to hear and be heard, to understand and be understood.