Self-image is tied up with self-worth. No one can create a healthy self-image for us...we must do it for ourselves. This is an especially difficult task for someone who has been abused. This goes for children as well as adults and any type of abuse: verbal, physical, sexual, and emotional. Changing the way we look at ourselves is hard, but it can be done. Issues of doubt pervade every aspect of decision making for the abused. All sorts of "What if ..." enters conscious and subconscious thought. What if I fail? What if I'm not loved? etc. etc. There is a large hole, left by the current or previous abuse, that is in constant need of refilling. In order to fill that hole...some overeat, some drink or use perscription drugs to numb the memories,some indulge in many unhealthy and unfulfilling relationships to make themselves feel "loved." The end result is the same: there is no change in the level of self-worth.
We have convinced ourselves that our abuse was/is deserved because we aren't worth anything better. We continue the abuse, literally, by now abusing our own minds and bodies. You give yourself the opportunity to heal when you realize how special and unique you are. What is your gift that only you can offer the world? Everyone has one...everyone. God has seen to that. It goes hand in hand that when you like yourself and have a positive self-image...others will like you as well. Knowing that we each have enormous self-worth is the ladder to healthy self-image.
Believe!
