Taking Care of Our Unworthiness
Today’s topic is unworthiness. How we come to believe we are unworthy; how this brings us feelings of shame and inadequacy; and how by being present with this part of ourselves we can unwind the intricacies of our unworthiness so that we can awaken to our intrinsic worthiness and goodness through self-compassion and kindness.
I hope you’ll enjoy the show and I hope that you’ll download the episode, share it with your friends, and, please, review it on Apple podcasts.
Self-loathing is a kind of aversion that we learn as children. After being repetitively told how we don’t stack up and don’t make the grade, we come to accept that this is who we are. It is not. We can take care of our unworthiness. We can give it the loving attention it needs to open and unfold so that we can heal and move forward with our lives.
The truth is we are all worthy; it is there and we can find it; by shaking off the layers of behaviors trying to make amends for our perceived unworthiness; by being willing to be present for all the feelings and stories and sensations around our unworthiness, we can clean the mud from the windshield to see that we have been worthy all along—intrinsically worthy.
This allows us to act with true compassion—not one rooted in trying to make up for unworthiness but one rooted in pure compassion—of love and kindness for ourselves and others based on our recognition of suffering and our desire to alleviate it without any expectation of the outcome.
Thank you for listening. I so appreciate you and also appreciate the people behind the scenes who make this podcast possible.
Gorgias Romero for original music, audio engineering and production;
Bill Rafferty for technical web support;
Allie Allen for logo and podcast cover design; and
Margaret Haas for announcing the show
Be well. Be mindful.
CREDITS/RESOURCES
Bradshaw, John, Healing The Shame That Binds You, Health Communications Inc., Deerfield Beach, FL, 1988.
Brown, Brené, “There are no Prerequisites for Worthiness,” Oprah’s Lifeclass, Oprah Winfrey Network, OWN, video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZR0-WFUfeE
Brown, Brené, “Shame vs. Guilt,” January 15, 2013, website, https://brenebrown.com/articles/2013/01/15/shame-v-guilt/
The Greater Good Science Center publishes articles on subjects to help us have meaningful lives. This link will take you to articles about unworthiness, forgiveness, self-esteem, and other related topics: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/search?q=unworthiness
Thich Nhat Hanh, “How do I Love Myself? | Thich Nhat Hanh Answers Questions,” Plum Village video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMoRtJhVoxc
Thich Nhat Hanh, “Growing Together,” Lion’s Roar, September 21, 2017. https://www.lionsroar.com/growing-together/ This short article is about finding our own worthiness to nurture our relationships.
DISCLAIMER
The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidance of your health professional.
