How Do We Calculate Self-Worth?
I was following a thread on a discussion. The post noted the person felt down, and how people around them made them feel badly about themselves/ their situation. I found it both strange and interesting, reading the various responses and suggestions. Everyone offered advice about how to feel better. A lot of support, and affirmation type input.
One thing jumped out to me, that no one touched on. What is self-worth? Who determines it? How is value ascribed? And how is it then measured?
Self-worth. I would imagine that self-worth is like art. It is as much as the person/people determine it to be worth. That price can be completely arbitrary. A piece of art may have a high value at one point, and then plummet. A forgery may be determined to be real, and value change. An artist may become “discovered,” and become highly prized. Same with an actor, struggling to highest paid.
I think the question, the real question: is how are we determining our worth? Are we allowing others, externally to determine our worth, based on similar arbitrary and often irrelevant parameters? How does society determine someone’s worth?
Are those parameters valid? Do we choose to accept that reality is consensual and allow others to define us? Do we choose to use those same parameters?
A good yuppy job, expensive car, good looking partner, gadgets and toys.
Or, can we decide what value should look like. Have you chosen the life you are leading? against the flow? In that case, then one would be independent. That is a worthy value. Have you made a difficult change, against the wishes of others, but for your own well-being/ soul-health? That is courage. Again, a value.
In Bhutan, a very small country to the NE of India, they do not have a gross national product GNP. Rather, they have gross domestic happiness, by which they measure their country’s well-being.
So- the question, about self-worth, while powerful, is also slightly illusory. Does this make sense? Even choosing NOT to accept social norms, while difficult, is something to feel proud about.
As an aside- there are many dietary and nutritional-toxic components associated with a lack of well-being. If a person experiences a lack of satisfaction or well-being, a whole range of factors needs to be addressed and considered. Environmental irritants, multiple-chemical sensitivity: what sorts of things might a person be getting exposed to, or have been exposed to in the past. What does the diet and nutrition look like? Many foods contribute to conditions that mimic/ mirror(?) psychiatric issues like manic depression, depression, anxiety, stress and insomnia. There are also valid medical conditions that can contribute to a lack of well-being. The whole picture needs to be taken into account.
But the biggest part, is that all of it needs to begin with the individual. Find a doctor who ascribes to a big-picture philosophy. Someone who understands that it is a partnership, and neither person has supremacy. A practitioner that listens, will do the legwork, and is open to things outside their realm or possible comfort zone. We pay them. Remember that:) IN the end, WE decide, WE determine, WE ascribe meaning and value. When that shift occurs, the rest falls into place. And the universe becomes our unwavering ally.
I am an Education Specialist, Health Coach and Author. I work with aspects of the teachings I have learned from Andean shamanic and cosmology, to health, nutrition and education. Everything is energy. Energy must flow. Like water, when it does not flow, it stagnates and is not healthy. These techniques help your life to flow. I have been initiated into many of the ancient lineages and learned ceremonies, rites of passage and healing techniques. I have worked as a healer and done workshops and taught some of these aspects – passing the teachings on.
Author of:
Dancing in Your Bubble : ancient teaching, modern healing
Natural Support for Alzheimer’s
Getting a Handle on Happy : find and fix causes of stress and depression
The Naturally Smarter Kid : a parent’s guide to helping kids succeed in school and life
Cafe of the Hungry Ghosts : behind the veil of ordinary – a paranormal-ish fiction book
http://BeingHerd.com
http://repairalz.com
