Do you like yourself

is there help out there

When you were a JW did you find you did not like your self. When you left the truth did you find that you liked yourself more and enjoyed life.

What-A-Coincidence

3 hours and no posts ... that pretty much sums it up.

Yes, that is what happened with me. When I was in, I bemoaned the fact that I had no friends who came by. My friends were only meeting and service friends. I was depressed. Then, after leaving, I found that I liked myself a lot better. I'm accomplishing an MS degree and seeing successes that would not have been possible in my old JW life.

Nathan Natas

As I was raised JW from about the age of seven, it was drummed into me that:

1. I must be PERFECT, just as my Heavenly Father is perfect

and

2. I can never be perfect.

Today, I realize that I'm as perfect as I'll ever be and that my imaginary Heavenly Father Jehovah is a "dead beat dad" sock-puppet in Fredd Franz' desk drawer in Brooklyn.

wobble

In the Hippie days lots of people went to India to find themselves,some found they weren't there, N.H, others found themselves and didn't like the person at all, so came back changed.

I have never suffered from self loathing, but I do have a sense of my own idiocy, and therefore am humble, more so since leaving and finding out that I know very little about the Big Questions, but I am learning, and growing, thanks to the JWN crowd !

Love

Wobble

LouBelle

I liked myself enough - I had friends etc. Now - I love myself (bar for the extra pounds I'm constantly trying to get rid of) I dont' have that many friends any longer and the few I do have........only one of them get me.

wantstoleave

Yes. That was/is me. I am still trying to like myself. I like parts of myself, my personality, but on the whole, am working on loving myself. I think the mix of doubts, a bad marriage, high expectations of parents and daily pressures of life have not made it any easier. Having said that, I'm starting to embrace the person I am, the good things about me and how life is what I make it.

bluecanary

I've always liked myself. I'm amazingly egotistical. I have a high self-esteem problem.

AllTimeJeff

Not in front of people...

(ok, I made myself laugh, thats all that counts...)

For me, yes I do. I have a big ego, thats why I wanted to go to Gilead and be an elder. I didn't realize that made me an ass at the time, but so be it.

Age has helped me to balance things out a bit more. I am still confident, just not as cocky. I am proud of what I have overcome. I think we all should be. :)

snowbird

I feel the same as Elizabeth Delany, who lived to be well over 100 years,"I always knew that I was a special little thing."

Sylvia