Okay, so I’ve been trying to get a handle on this whole “shame resilience” thing, and let me tell you, it’s been a journey. I started by looking for some practical tools, you know, something I could actually use. That’s when I found these shame resilience worksheets. Sounded promising, right?
First thing I did was print them out. Yeah, I’m old school like that. I need to have something physical in my hands. Then, I made myself a cup of coffee, found a quiet spot, and started going through the worksheets. There were all these prompts and questions, things like “What situations make you feel shame?” and “Who are the people that trigger these feelings in you?”
Honestly, it was tough at first. I mean, who wants to think about the stuff that makes them feel ashamed? But I pushed through. I started writing down my thoughts, my feelings, everything that came up. It was messy, and sometimes I didn’t even know what to write, but I kept at it.
One thing that really helped was this idea of being honest. Not just saying “Yeah, I feel shame” but really digging into it. Where does it come from? Why do I feel this way? It was like peeling back the layers of an onion. And yeah, it made me cry a few times.
There was this one part about bringing shame into the light. It’s like, shame thrives in the dark, in the secrets we keep. But when you talk about it, when you write it down, it starts to lose its power. I started sharing some of my experiences with a close friend, someone I really trust. It was scary, but it felt so good to get it off my chest.
The worksheets also talked about how to boost your confidence to counter shame. I was like, “Okay, easier said than done!” But then I started doing these small things. Like, I challenged myself to do the things that make me feel worthy.
Another useful thing I found was to figure out my triggers. It’s like, if you know what sets you off, you can prepare for it. So I made this list of situations and people that tend to make me feel shame. It wasn’t fun, but it was super helpful. Now, when I’m in those situations, I can kind of see it coming, and I’m better equipped to handle it. I am learning how to identify my triggers and then deal with them.
One big takeaway for me was that shame can show up in different ways. Sometimes it’s anger, sometimes it’s sadness, sometimes it’s just feeling numb. Whatever it is, the important thing is to recognize it and not judge yourself for feeling it.
It’s not like I’m suddenly shame-proof now, but I definitely feel more resilient. I’m learning to be kinder to myself, to accept my flaws, and to not let shame control me. It’s an ongoing process, but these worksheets have been a really valuable tool for me. I’m still working through them, and I’m sure I’ll keep learning and growing along the way. I still have bad days, but now I have some tools to cope with them.
