To develop Non-Judgmental Self Awareness, imagine making friends with someone. To get to know this individual, you ask questions to learn about them from a place of authentic curiosity. This step is important because as we move forward, you are going to redefine your relationship with yourself. This is a statement to help guide the process of redefining your relationship with yourself and how you experience your emotions.
“I can feel what I feel without judging myself for it.” I can definitely relate to being a big “shoulder” earlier in my life. I was “shoulding” all over myself! I felt awful about experiencing certain emotions, feeling like I “should be happier” or “shouldn’t feel angry” about something. It took awhile for me to recognize that I had a pattern of judging myself for feeling what I was feeling. Then I would end up feeling sad about feeling sad, angry about feeling angry, anxious about being anxious, depressed about being depressed, and the list, etc. It only left me feeling further alone, isolated, and like my emotions and I were the enemy. The negative interpretation of what we are emotionally experiencing can often cause us to feel an increase in emotional intensity, and that is why judging, shaming, blaming, or “shoulding” all over ourselves doesn’t work for managing emotions. Remember, your emotions are valid and a source of information. You are learning to feel what you feel without judging yourself for it.
You are going to learn a lot about yourself because you are worth getting to know. You matter and you are worth treating yourself as a friend instead of as an “your own worst enemy.”
