Time for Part 2 of More Help for Anxiety: Personal Bill of Rights. I hope that you have been putting your focus on the first part. If you just read the list and then forgot it, nothing is going to change in your life.
You deserve to be comfortable in your own skin, and these can help. When I work with my counseling clients in Santa Barbara, I always give them a copy of this Bill of Rights. I want my clients to feel the power of walking through their world with this knowledge. It can greatly impact day to day choices.
** Those of you who are parents, please teach the Personal Bill of Rights to your children. Their lives will be so much easier, and they’ll grow up with so much more inner peace. It’s a great gift to give them. **
Personal Bill of Rights — Part 2
- I have the right not to be responsible for others’ behaviors, actions, feelings, or problems.
- I have the right to expect honesty from others.
- I have the right to be angry at someone I love.
- I have the right to be uniquely myself.
- I have the right to feel scared and say “I’m afraid.”
- I have the right to say “I don’t know.”
- I have the right not to give excuses or reasons for my behavior.
- I have the right to make decisions based on my feelings.
What are your favorites from this group? I particularly love the one about responsibility and the one about being uniquely you! Have you ever been told that it’s your fault that someone else did or said something? I’ve heard that many times from clients. People who are in emotionally and/or physically abusive relationships are often led to believe that they are responsible for the choices that their partners make. It is not true — ever!!
My favorite is the one about being uniquely who you are. So many of my clients come in and think they need to be someone else’s image of them. Be true to yourselves, please. Celebrate the wonderful person inside you — the you who’s just waiting to break free!!
Next time, I’ll finish with the 3rd part. Don’t forget to focus on your rights between now and then!
Until next time,
Linda