Stories We Tell Ourselves

We tell ourselves stories all the time, often stories with roots in fear and protection:

 

"I’m not smart enough."

"They’re mad at me."

"I’ll never be able to…" (fill in the blank)

 

The stories can become so engrained in us, and occur to us so quickly, that we often forget to stop and think about where they come from, and whether they are still, or ever were, really true. Might there be another interpretation that is equally true, more true, or simply more helpful?

In today’s episode, we talk about the act of resistant reading to uncover bias, root out shame, and start to notice the stories we tell about ourselves, each other, and the world. This is a practice that goes beyond the cognitive realm of words and goes deep into our bodies, into the stories that live within us on a cellular level. 

And we start to explore the question: How can we start to tell ourselves more helpful stories—with our words, with our actions, and with our bodies?