Sticks and Stones ...



Did you want to see me broken?

Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Shoulders falling down like teardrops.

Weakened by my soulful cries.

Maya Angelou

STILL I RISE

It is part of the human experience to witness first hand rejection or the harsh criticism of others.  It is devastating when the attack is of a personal nature, not necessarily focusing on what we do, but judging who we are at the core.

Regardless of the motivation (cruelty, competiveness, jealousy) emotional abuse can be just as harmful as physical or sexual abuse.   There are no visible or physical signs of emotional abuse, and healing can take years of recovery.

The scars of verbal abuse cannot be seen, but they remain inside impacting our behaviors for years to come.   Often times we are unaware of the lingering power words contiue to have over us.  Words can be repeated as though there is a tape recorder running in our heads.  The tape can be run so regularly we are no longer aware of the constant negative impact being made upon us.    

We can easily ask ourselves, "Are these words true?"  We are all capable of careless action, but our self-evaluation is more accurate than the one with the hateful words.  We need to check within to see if accusations are true or false and then act accordingly.  Whatever does not apply, simply let go!

Preventive measures are always helpful.  If we carry the presence of the Divine within us, we will find ourselves to not be so thin skinned.  Instead of absorbing the words, we can let them bounce off of us thinking, "Wow! He or she is having a bad day!"  We put the responsibility back where it belongs.



  

"Sticks and stones may break my bones,

but words will never hurt me!" 

Words can hurt us, but only as deeply as we allow.