I was in my local health food store when I saw a neighbor and we began chatting. When she asked what I was up to, I told her about my recent blog on giving up a girly thought for Lent—you remember, the one where I suggested you give up one girly thought for Lent.
Yes, just one, even if you’re not observant, even if you’re not Christian—all with the understanding that you can return to this form of self-sabotage after Easter if you still want to do this to yourself.
She began laughing and told me of a story of a younger cousin with a wicked sense of humor. We’ll call her Colleen. Years ago, Colleen’s her Episcopal priest asked what she was giving up for Lent, and her answer was SEX.
He evidently turned pale and began shaking. Colleen was only fourteen at the time, and she lived at boarding school in a rural part of Canada. She was quickly isolated from the other girls, questioned repeatedly—they needed to know who the boy was—and then not believed when she said she was just kidding. (By the way, Colleen has become a successful comedy writer—noted for her sense of humor and her timing.)
No Kidding
It’s still not too late for you. Just try stopping one of those girly thoughts that tell you:
- You’re too smart
- You’re too fat
- You’re too aggressive, or
- It’s all your fault that ________
Think about giving up these toxic thought as an experiment just like a science experiment you did in high school. You do something and see what happens.
You can do this within yourself. Try to stop thinking one girly thought, and see what happens when you make space in you by stopping one particular way you are distracting yourself, beating yourself up, keeping yourself down.
Yes, stopping just one girly thought can make a big difference in how you feel about yourself. And I predict you’ll also discover and how much energy you have to do what you’d like to accomplish.
Try it and let me know . . .
You’ll find more ideas for getting rid of your negative self-talk in my latest book, The Girly Thoughts 10-Day Detox Plan: The Resilient Woman’s Guide to Saying NO to Negative Self-Talk and YES to Personal Power
Patricia A. O'Gorman, Ph.D., is a psychologist in private practice. She is noted for her work on women, trauma, and substance abuse and for her warm, inspiring, and amusing presentations that make complex issues accessible and even fun. She has served as a consultant to organizations across the country in preventative and clinical strategic planning. Dr. O'Gorman is a cofounder of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics, and she has held positions ranging from director of a rape crisis center to clinical director of a child welfare agency, and director of the division of prevention for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). She is a veteran of numerous television appearances, including Good Morning America, Today, and AM Sunday and is the author of eight books including: The Girly Thoughts 10 Day Detox Plan (2014), The Resilient Woman: Mastering the 7 Steps to Personal Power (2013), and Healing Trauma Through Self-Parenting (2012) 12 Steps to Self-Parenting.
