"How you love yourself is how you teach others to love you" – Rupi Kaur
Do you love yourself? If you answered ‘Yes’ that’s great, then how much? Most of us would not even broach this question. 50 mentees made their way to St. Stanislaus Bandra on 21 August 2022, to find the answers from our master trainer Dr. Wilona Annunciation. She started the workshop with a unique icebreaker, sending the mentees on a ‘Blind Date’ in fact several short dates for different times of the day. In total mentees, met and made 6 new friends in a short span of 15 minutes and shared a little about themselves. Each mentee had to then introduce their partner whom they met at a specific time, simultaneously identifying their partner from the audience. It was a fun and interesting way to connect and remember new found friends. A self-love online questionnaire followed and results were emailed individually to each respondent. An overall assessment was shared with the Take Charge team to give a perspective of the general rating of the group. The question on why it is so difficult to love oneself was mulled over – Our Negativity Bias, Evolution has always helped us protect ourselves against danger, self-love is selfish, encouraged to be strong at all times, based on past experiences we don’t deserve love, conflicts with others etc. To get rid of our negative bias we need to rewire our thoughts and actions Realistic Repetitive Goal oriented Keep it simple Small steps Let’s talk insecurities, where the mentees were divided into groups and each discussed a different topic – Communication, Body Image, Relationships, Academics, Finance. The sharing was insightful and brought many issues to the forefront.
We discussed the tools for self-love which would include:
1. Avoid labelling yourself
2. Don’t deprive yourself
3. Listen to your gut
4. Make your needs clear
5. Nurture yourself
6. Prioritise your health and happiness
7. Remind yourself of your positive qualities
8. Make peace with your past
9. Watch out for black and white thinking
10. Catch yourself being great
Lastly each mentee was given a few chits of paper and asked to ‘Catch Yourself Being Great’. These were to be put into a love jar with your name on it and keep adding to the jar often. We received positive feedback from the mentees, who found it engaging and interactive. Many expressed a change in perspective and realised the importance of loving themselves and expressing it. We would encourage everyone to keep reminding themselves each day, that they are special. A heartfelt thanks to Dr. Wilona for helping us see ourselves in a new light. So go ahead, hug yourself and be your own version to smile!
- Caroline Pearl Pereira (TC 5 mentee)