Respecting Yourself And Others

What Is Respect?

Respect is a lot of things.  It is an attitude, an action, and a way of life. It is showing appreciation for what is good in people, a positive response to living with ourselves and others.  It is not hurtful, mean, cruel or destructive in any way. It is building up, rather than tearing down.

Write down three words you think best describes respect for you.
 

Respecting Yourself

There are lots of ways in which we disrespect ourselves, not getting enough sleep, not eating healthy food, not exercising, drinking, smoking, doing drugs, etc. Most of these behaviors stem from not thinking well of ourselves.  We think things like, “I’m too fat, too ugly or too dumb” to do the things we want to do.

To respect ourselves means to think good thoughts about ourselves like, “I am smart and capable of learning new things.” Having healthy self-respect is not bragging or having to be better than someone else.  It is affirming who we are, our strengths and our values.

Write down one affirmation, or positive statement, about yourself.  Try to think of a new one each day.  The more we think positively about ourselves, the more we are likely to take better care of ourselves.

Respecting Others

No one likes a bully.  Mean words and cruel behaviors like name calling, pushing or shoving are aggressive acts that provoke fear, but also anger and resentment back.  Once that cycle starts, it’s hard to break.

Positive, respectful interaction like being courteous, patient or helpful is usually received with much better results.  We usually get back what we give.  If I smile and say, “Good morning,” I am more likely to get a friendly response back, than if I had grumbled something mean as I passed by.

Think of a time that someone said something unkind or disrespectful to you Write down how that made you feel. What could they have done or said differently, so that you would not be hurt or mad? 

Likewise, think of a time that you did or said something hurtful.  Write down how you could have handled it differently.