Self-Respect

    One thing I have always struggled with is self-respect. For a long time, I truly believed I didn’t deserve respect. If someone treated me poorly, I assumed I had earned it somehow. I didn’t realize how deeply that mindset shaped the way I moved through the world — or how disrespectful I had become toward myself in the process.

    Lately, though, I’ve been trying to build self-respect intentionally. I’m beginning to realize that when I respect myself, I also see myself as more capable of following my dreams and reaching my goals. In my last blog, I mentioned that I made one small change that ended up making a huge difference in my life. I think choosing self-respect may become another change like that — one that quietly transforms everything.

    As I’ve reflected on this lately, I’ve started noticing the ways I already practice self-respect, even if I didn’t recognize them before.

    I started a podcast called Still Becoming. Instead of only consuming other people’s stories or waiting until I felt “fully healed” or perfectly confident, I created something of my own. That’s self-respect. I treated my voice, my reflections, and my experiences as worthy of being heard.

    I’ve also become more thoughtful about digital spaces instead of blindly diving into them. I’ve paused to ask whether certain spaces are actually safe, healthy, and emotionally wise for me. Sometimes self-respect looks less like dramatic boundaries and more like quietly protecting your peace instead of automatically filling emotional space.

    I’ve continued building softness and joy into my life even while carrying grief. I’ve still been planning Whimsy Wednesdays, celebrating Eddie’s 9 ¾ month milestone, caring for my pets, creating cozy routines, and looking for warmth after losing my grandma and Lois. I think that’s a form of self-respect people often overlook: refusing to emotionally abandon yourself after hard things happen.

    There’s a quieter fourth example, too: the way I’ve talked about becoming childfree after infertility. There is a deep kind of self-respect in recognizing when your mental health needs protection and honoring that reality instead of forcing yourself to fit an expectation that no longer feels healthy for you.

    I still have a long way to go when it comes to self-respect. But I think I’m finally beginning to understand that it isn’t about arrogance or perfection. It’s about treating yourself like someone worthy of care, gentleness, protection, and hope.

    And I want to continue building that kind of life for myself, because I’m finally beginning to thrive in this beautiful place I’m in.