10: Permission to Indulge in a Little Self-Pity

Do you ever feel sorry for yourself? Most of us do at one time or another. We may call it “having a pity party” or self-pity, but it’s something that prompts very different opinions. In today’s show, I’m giving you a little advice about why it’s OK to indulge in self-pity at times.

“Self-pity in its early stage is as snug as a feather mattress; only when it hardens does it become uncomfortable.” –Maya Angelou

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• When was the last time you felt sorry for yourself? After all, it’s a natural human response!
• Sometimes we think that self-pity is bad and wrong in every way
• Why self-pity is perfectly fine at times
• If you say you never have self-pity, then you probably aren’t honest or even human
• “The more you avoid something, the more energy you actually give to it.”
• Why would you want to give an enormous amount of energy to something you don’t want?
• Why it’s OK to admit that sometimes things just suck and you just feel sucky
• Go to the pity party!
  • Show up for the appetizers and then leave
  • Own your self-pity and give yourself a time limit
• My recent cancer scare and my anger that prompted a “pity party”
• “Have I not been through enough?”
• Why it’s OK to enjoy the “featherbed” for a little while and then go back home
• Feeling guilty about feeling sorry for yourself just makes it worse
• How to cope:
  • Have a glass of wine—just one!
  • Talk to a trusted friend
• Howard Schultz said, “In life, you can blame a lot of people and you can wallow in self-pity, or you can pick yourself up and say, ‘Listen, I have to be responsible for myself’.”