Free Yourself and Be You
Daily, we absorb unrealistic expectations from people and social outlets for what we should look like, how our romantic relationships should be, and even what we should be doing in our work lives. We’re just trying to fit in, be liked, and be accepted by other human beings.
Revealing our true selves can feel like a huge risk now that we live in a world where everyone is presenting themselves as perfect, attractive, wealthy, successful, and happy online. Wearing a mask and hiding our true selves has become the norm of today.
Being yourself can feel risky, and it is. There may be people in your life who have fully bought into the idea that being a certain way and presenting a certain image is all that matters. However, if you have to hide who you really are to be around certain people, you can feel lost, lonely, or even ashamed because you are telling yourself that who you really are isn’t OK. I have below five suggestions to help you be you.
- Accept yourself.
People and social media can make us feel unattractive. Everyone is not a runway model. You do know that people have photoshopped their pictures to perfection, using filters and fixers. Too much time is spent comparing ourselves to others. Just be comfortable being you. You are wonderfully made in the image and likeness of God. If you want others to accept you, you have to accept you first.
- Identify negative self-talk.
One way we can better accept ourselves is to identify and challenge our negativity. We always have these inner conversations chirping away at us, interpreting the events happening all around us. For many of us, this self-talk is mostly negative. The Bible teaches us in Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” We Must change our thinking in order to change our talking. Positive thinking produces positive self-talk.
- Celebrate your strengths.
We can easily slide into the habit of focusing on our weaknesses instead of celebrating our strengths. We all struggle with some things. For example, I sometimes put myself down because I’m not great at communicating long-term friendships. I wouldn’t say I like talking on the phone and often feel bad because my preferred communication is texting. Some would be surprised to know that I’m a good communicator. But if we get down on ourselves regularly for the things we’re not good at, it’s going to be hard to like ourselves as much as we could. Focus on your strengths and remind yourself that it’s okay to celebrate you.
- Express yourself.
The best part of being you is the freedom you give yourself in being true to your expressions. Whether it is verbal or non-verbal, your expressions are a part of you. Never hold back who you are and what you feel.
- Show your vulnerability.
Another important step to being ourselves is showing our vulnerability. Most of us, myself included, don’t really want to show the parts of us that we don’t like, the parts that scare us or make us feel ashamed, angry, or weak. It’s not so easy to share these parts of ourselves. We worry, what if others change their opinion of us, reject us, or abandon us? Your vulnerability will show you who is truly with you. Show all of you!
Every day of your life, I encourage you and pray that you will be ok being you.
