Seeing the positive reaction to the beautiful poem from Auroraboros that I reblogged yesterday You Are Enough
https://objectsandthedistancebetweenthem.wordpress.com/2018/06/21/you-are-enough/
reminded me again how important to our soul nurturing loving words of acceptance and love are most particularly those who suffer with the internalised critical and hostile voices of depression, anxiety and suppression. Sadly such inner voices are all too much in the majority in our culture, conditioning and upbringing, although that said the opposing trend of over praising a child in an unrealistic way is apparently even more of a problem in modern times. Never the less I think we all long to know we are loved just as we are, flaws and insecurities and faults and all. We all need to be loved and appreciated for who we are more so even than for what we do. Its essential to our well being to know that our achievements are not the only thing of value, as there are those of us who never got to achieve in wordly ways, we may have talents that lie unexpressed due to lack of self belief or championing and nurturance from the environment. And most particularly if we have struggled with a low self esteem due to imposed shame or other limitations it can be hard for us to see and know and believe in our true worth.
Children like me too, raised in emotionally bereft or neglectful environments struggle a lot because we learn fairly early on that the way to get attention or be seen or appreciated is through learning to anticipate others needs and hops and dreams and feelings and so we learn to dance as hard as we can to meet them. In my own life lately I have been beginning to greive a lot as I realise the all too painful reality of this truth more deeply but as I cry I sense those tears have life energy to water and grow new, healthier seeds of self awareness so something good can grow from the pain of self awareness.
I just read a really good post on learning not to live up to the expectations of others. It really spoke to me. I dont just help others though to gain approval or attention often it does come out of a sincere and genuine need to be there for them and due to the fact of loss and depression I feel I do have a lot to give from my own experience and I want to give it to ease suffering. I hope always to be a light for others and most days my light shines but some days it gets emptied out as no responses come back. But that is when I am most hungry for my own voice of love and self acceptance. I often only grow emptier if I wait for those words from those who are too busy anyway.
The one thing that I am so very very grateful for is that on those genuine dark days when I feel my own light dimming or extinguished that there are loving souls here on WordPress who give that love back. I know it takes courage to comment but a loving comment on a tough day means the world to a fellow blogger. It may be the very thing that has the power to change a dark day into one with at least a touch of colour. Words have such power to heal and to hurt. Lets remember how we speak to each other makes so much impact for good or for ill and a healing word of acceptance and love is a lot like a drop or watering can of the good stuff poured on a soul that helps it to blossom and flower. Negative words or only seeing the external rather than internal value of someone and the pain of hidden struggles they may be going through is also diminishing and as a collective we need to be more and more aware of this fact. We are human beings not human doings!
Emerging From The Dark Night 
Oh, I appreciate you so much… You have written such beautiful words here, carrying such a meaningful messages and conveying with grace the very sentiment I hoped to capture.
It can be so difficult to overcome those in inner voices. This is actually the topic of a piece I am working on right now, based on discussions I have been having of late with Blackbird. It is so frustrating and painful to deal with the constant inner voices that tell us we are not good enough, that seek to drive us down and demotivate us. We know in our hearts that the words are false, but if they are all that we hear, they begin to sound more and more convincing. This is where it is so extremely important that we are honest and open with others in our lives, that we help them to see what is real and that they matter to us.
You are so right about the value of a simple comment. My words are often positive and one might think I live a life absent suffering, but it is quite the opposite in that I struggle daily with feelings in inadequacy and worthlessness. I have learned over the years that one of the best ways to fight these feelings is to surround yourself with a support system of positivity, with words and people that speak life. I share the sentiments that lift me up in the hopes they may do the same for others, not judging or expecting anything of those who read, but rather accepting and seeking acceptance. The connections that I make and the comments that people leave on my posts mean so much to me, I cannot even begin to express…
Thank you so much for who you are and the light that you bring to the world. 🙂
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This beautiful comment of yours deserves an entire post of its own. It is so true as those demonic voices grow within when we become isolated from care compassion love acceptance nurture and humanity. We so need that loving community. I struggle in exactly the same way as you do and as I know so many of us do but our honesty is our saving grace. And it will keep us connected in love so we can truimph over those negative energies and impulses that are only anti life and all that is good and true in this world.
(((—)))
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Exactly. It would make sense that the most fertile soil for doubt and depression would be a world absent openness/honesty and love. And just like soil, there needs to be new nutrients added from time to time, there is a need for resources from outside. We need others so desperately…
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Yes that is so so trrue and often when we MOST need orthers their fear makes it impossible for them to respond to us in that deep place, or else we learn to deny we NEED in order never to be vulnerable or hurt agsin..it can be a very deep dilemma ..life and people are complex and yet emotions fully understood are simple and make perfect sense.when the true context is known.
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I also think its BECAUSE you struggle as you do that you can know all of this and be a powerful voice for change.
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