Self Soothing

I endeavor to be my best self. One of the areas that I am very conscious of is self soothing rather than soothing from others. I would have claimed that I did not seek or need such soothing from others because I was so saturated in it. I received a constant flow of positive affirmation and validation, in which I created the false narrative that it was superfluous and I was a ‘self-starter’ or ‘self-motivated’. This was NEVER true. Because I lived in this narrative, I was unable to make healthy, other oriented decisions. The first step I am taking in self soothing is taking full responsibility for my past behavior as well as my future. I will work to identify my anxieties and develop a ‘tool box’ of practices to alleviate those anxieties without avoiding or dismissing them. 

I hope to work through this process, in part, by writing the story of my life to now with hindsight so that I take ownership of how I live in the present. 

Note - I am not sure of the origin of self soothing - my source is Passionate Marriage by David Schnarch.