Embrace Your Story
We all have a story. If you are a human, born to other humans, you automatically possess the elements of a unique narrative. Yet we rarely admit, and even more rarely actually recount, our story to others. Sometimes it is embarrassing to us. Some of us have been abused and gaslit by our abusers to believe our version of the facts (our story) is false.
Sometimes we change the facts of our own story to fit the version of ourselves we have falsely adapted over time.
Whatever dynamic is behind our unwillingness to face our own story, we owe it to ourselves to do so. It is the first step toward living our authentic lives, accepting and loving our essential selves.
Dr. Lissa Rankin, a former Ob/Gyn, now Wellness expert. talks about how memoir writing, putting our own unique story into our own words, can be liberating and an important step toward wellness.
I often talk to my clients about the importance of embracing their biography as a necessary step to understanding their health and wellness journey.
If we get our story out in the open and out of the hidden recesses of our psyches, we can step back, examine it, put it in perspective, embrace it, and ultimately love it, and love ourselves in so doing. That really is the goal. We are better and healthier if we accept ourselves for our unique story, rather some version which is more comfortable for others around us to believe.
The day we accept who we truly are, and stop worrying about how our existence affects everyone else, is the day we begin our journey to true wellness.
Start by journaling. Telling your story as it unfolds has the benefit of perspective in real time. Sure, your contemporaneous take on the facts of your life may change over time, but even that phenomenon is part of your story, and deserves to be told.
Perhaps your particular story begins at birth, or before birth with the drama of your ancestors, or maybe your childhood narrative is particularly compelling. Whatever moments of your life contain the tensions, characters and plot line of a great story. it is worth telling. And don’t feel the need to publish a best seller to put your story into words. If you happen to become a best selling author in telling your story, congratulations! Most of the benefit, however, will be to yourself. Embrace your uniqueness. Love your story, and don’t be afraid to tell it!
Peace and love,
Dr. John Monaco
MONACO Wellness
(813) 252-6378
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