Thinking Kindly of Myself.

Mama tells me to give myself some grace. Bruce tells me to be kind to myself. My meds surely affect how I think of myself both directly and indirectly through side effects. And of course, my disease tells me lies. I want to address and reframe a few of those thoughts.

I've never been as smart as I thought I was.
I have a master's degree, and my grades were no accident. I should worry less about how smart I am and work on ways to strengthen and expand my mind.

I'm not smart anymore. The disease the meds have left me mentally weak.
Some of this will pass. I still have an impressive memory, even though I've lost some of it. I've held onto so much despite the struggle. I should love my mind for that.

I'm not pretty because of my weight gain.
Josh and Bruce still say I'm pretty. Lithium can make losing weight difficult, but I can still get strong and fit and learn to love my new body. I need to focus on what I like about myself.

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