Several years ago, I worked in a setting that felt toxic to me. For one thing, it was extremely patriarchal, and I felt invisible at best and dismissed and shut out at worst. I liked what I did but not where I did it.
As long as I decided to remain in that situation, I needed to do everything I could to care for myself and my soul. I engaged in self-care for my body and spirit, and it took many forms.
One of the things I learned to do was repeat a mantra when I found myself getting pulled down into negative thinking, anger and resentment—when I began feeling worthless. I don't even remember where I found the mantras I used, but I still have the little cards on which I wrote some of them. I took them along to work in my purse so I could pull them out and look at them whenever I needed. Some I knew by heart, of course. Here are three of them. And if they're useful to you, I'm happy to share them:
"I will live out of my own container of love and compassion, regardless of others' actions."
"I choose not to place my self-esteem in the hands of another person."
"I am connected to God and my own sense of wholeness."
Sometimes simply repeating such mantras can take our focus in a different, more positive direction. And that's worth a lot.
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