Today's courage to change reading is about criticism and it's effects- both the excessive criticism we might have received from others, and that which we bombard ourselves with, before recovery, at least. Self-criticism is often the by product of living with addiction and dysfunction, but it deprives us of the opportunity to feel good.

It suggests that a patient approach to ourselves is needed to recover from these destructive self-abuses. Listing our positive qualities via a daily gratitude and asset list, and making a concerted effort to replace negative thoughts with positive ones are good tools to begin changing our negative thinking with. The reading also suggests identifying an assert for every defect we perceive that we have. Re-programming our thinking takes effort and practice, and these exercises become invaluable tools that we carry with us forever once we have learned them.

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I know that pre-recovery, my self criticism was out of control and I had beaten myself up so badly I could barely look in the mirror. Somehow, I thought the answer was to kick my own butt harder, because that was the only way I was ever going to "make myself be better". But I didn't do better, I just became more hopeless and self-deprecating.

Interestingly, when i began to cheer-lead for myself, and encourage myself to identify and celebrate my good points, I started achieving things and finding I was much better at "doing life". It's very, very hard to function with an invisible abuser riding your back 24-7. When you replace them with a super-positive best friend instead, magic happens

Have a great weekend all.