I Am Human

As we approach Mental Health Awareness Week, I'm hoping the following poem will help promote more self-acceptance and self-compassion as well as helping to prevent and reduce mental health symptoms. Sometimes we tend to hide our humanness from others and instead feel we have to live up to unrealistic expectations which can create feelings of inadequacy, frustration, disappointment or a perception you may be flawed compared to others. This poem I believe is a greater reflection of the true picture that affects every human being. Please do share with anyone you feel may benefit from reading this. Let's all embrace and celebrate our humanness!

I AM HUMAN…

I sometimes shout at my loved ones, feel anger, rage and frustration.

I sometimes make mistakes, say the wrong thing or upset others.

I've experienced rejection, hurt, shame and sometimes I feel that other people don’t get or like me.

I sometimes fail. I sometimes feel unlucky.

I can be happy, sad, scared and frustrated all in one day. Sometimes my moods change quickly and sometimes they last for a phase of time.

I sometimes don’t know where I’m headed or feel lost and want to completely change direction.

I sometimes don’t like myself. I can doubt or berate myself and feel very small.

Sometimes I feel afraid and worry about the future.

Sometimes I imagine I am alone in feeling this way.

AND WHEN I ACCEPT AND LOVE MY HUMANNESS ENOUGH...

I know that I’m not alone in experiencing any of the above and that I’m human just like everyone else.

I acknowledge that it’s normal to experience “good” and “bad” emotions. My feelings pass more easily when I'm not afraid of them, am open to exploration and have healthy outlets for expression. Everyone is a "happy person", "sad person", "angry person" as we all experience all emotions from time to time and in different ways.

I know that when something goes wrong or I face something challenging, that it’s an opportunity to learn and grow from. That when one path closes down, another one opens up. That every difficult phase or emotion is not permanent and I move through it more quickly when I stop avoiding it and learn to be less hard on myself.

I realise that when I feel judgement from others, that it’s my own judgement I’m perceiving. Any perception of others is purely assumption unless I check it out with them.

I catch myself telling myself off and reframe it in a more compassionate way. That I'm doing my best with the information that I have at the time.

I acknowledge that even when I get it wrong or make a mistake, that it’s my intention that counts the most. The outcome is always beyond my control.

I recognise that the stories I tell myself continue because I keep feeding and looking for them. I have the power to change my stories so that I can experience more happiness and attract more positive situations in my life.

I recognise that it’s not possible to be liked or attractive to everyone or good enough at everything. So any rejection or failure is not reflective of me as a person but more an indication that there is someone else or something else that I am better suited to.

I know that in showing my humanness to others that I’m role-modelling that it’s okay for them to be human too.

I also know that I might forget much of this in the moment but that it’s okay as I’m human. I acknowledge that I am good enough. I am enough. I don’t need to be perfect or superhuman for this to be the case.

I AM HUMAN AND PROUD OF IT.

By Natalie Read