I absolutely agree. I try to remember that it is myself who allows others to bring me down. There are times in my life that even as badly as I dont want to allow it, it happens. Then I have to use my coping skills to bring myself out of it. My father had that power over me. I was just conditioned in fear to react to him with fear.

Knowing who we are, loving who we are and sharing who we are is most important. If we are true to ourselves and try to be the best we can be in love and kindness, then others that bring us down wont matter as much. Hugs

The greatest challenge you face in life is to learn to like yourself. Despite what others think of you, your view of yourself, your self-image, has more impact on you than most other things in life.

The expression, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" applies to yourself as well as to others. Liking yourself and respecting yourself is not conceit. It is plain common sense. It is the basis of good mental health.

Hugs....To ME

I do like myself. I don't always like some of the things I do and say, esp if it hurts someone else, which would never be intentional.

"I don't know what I don't know". I think that is especially true of my personality. I am on a path of discovery. Please feel free to enlighten me of your impressions. I welcome this. Please email me though. :)

May sound strange but I feel like I am still developing who I am as a person. Does anyone else feel this way?

I don't always like myself.. I always love myself
it helps me to move forward

Geesh, Anji, I am constantly learning and developing who I am. Even within my "value system", I learn new things that I may not have realized before. I am constantly evolving as a mother because my children present me with different situations with every new age and each child is different.

I think I am constantly seeking "who I am" by developing different aspects of myself. With bipolar disorder our life is layered with learned behaviors, disappointments, low self esteem etc. I have to peel those things away to discover "me".

I like myself until I fall into the negative thoughts,then like Shelly said,I have to peel all those thoughts away to like myself again.I find that when i'm around depressed and negative people I start feeling like them,so I try to hang with optimistic up beet people.

I totally agree Shelly. That is an excellent way to put it. I hope I have peeled most of it away in time to be the best person I can be, the person I want to be. That is what I meant by "You/I don't know what you don't know". Discovering how other people perceive me, while it can be tough sometimes, is actually how I got started on my quest for change. My eyes are constantly being opened and I am actually very appreciative as it allows me a chance to evaluate it and make changes as it pertains to the person I want to be.

Thanks...XX Angel

People are always telling me how calm, cool, and collected I am. They see what I present to the world, but often I am anxious on the inside. I guess I do a good job of putting on a good front....I dunno if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

I like myself. I am sweet and a little silly at the same time. I may not always say the right thing - but I try to do the right thing always. I can look at myself in the mirror knowing that I have tried my hardest - even if I often come up short.

You are awesome Gecko. No other way to say it. :)

awwwww hugs my superhero friend!

I love myself and by the same token I love you all.

support, another thought I want to share. I did not come to a place with my father who I could "truly" be myself with. I learned to love myself and know myself well, but I always had fear of my father.

It became somewhat easier but because he did not change I still had feelings inside myself that were activated when I was around him. Some of that may have had to do with the horrible fear he instilled while I was growing up. I am not sure we ever get rid of ALL of that. The important thing to remember is that you are there because you love him and your family. Once you walk out that door, it is up to you to "get rid of" any negative feelings the best way you know how.

I mentioned before, that I did this on the way home with meditation and positive thinking. It is possible and I know you can do that. I dont know what your exact situation with your father was, but it is possible if it wasnt too traumatic, that you can work through it completely.

Love yourself sweetie.

Hugs

In summary I had to take care of my parents my whole life from a very young age. Things were so financially tense in my house, with constant fighting and worry, that I, as a child, learned to stifle my own feelings because I didn't want to increase the stress. On the few occassions that I did express myself, I was told to "stop being so negative." To this day if I try and question my father , or express another point of view, he explodes.

I completely understand support. I grew up very poor and my father was laid off quite often. There were always arguments and tension in our home. We were never sure what would set my father off. It could be something as simple as my hair being in my face. One day he blew up at my bangs being too long and he sat me down, pulled my hair back in his hands, and chopped my hair off. He cut my bangs about an inch long. That was very embarassing at school for quite a while.

That is why I said, it may never be possible to be truly happy but we dont have to allow their behavior to "become" us. Just try to enjoy him in whatever way you can and decompress when you go home. My heart aches for you, because I think I know how you feel.

Hugs