Judgment Free Zone

I am not too sure what it is about some people, that they find the need to degrade or berate other people to make themselves feel better. As I have gotten older, I have become wary of such people and who I chose to keep in my life. People who need to berate others to feel good or act mean to fluff their ego are in my eyes, nothing shy of schoolyard bullies.

You may be wondering what this has to do with psoriasis, oh my fellow friends. Everything.

Passing judgment on psoriasis

Over the years I have been a victim to many a mean comment or hurtful remark. People see my skin and seem to think that they have the right to judge me based and whatever they think is wrong with me. They seem to think, and hey this is just a stab in the dark here, but it comes across to me that by casually saying a rude or hurtful comment, they are deeming themselves better than me.

How is it even possible that you can look at someone’s appearance, and I do not care what it is about it, the way they dress, how their skin looks and compulsively feel the need to negatively comment or pass judgment? How do you look at that someone and think that they are less than another person?

How do people get pleasure from passing a cruel comment or giving an ugly look because of how an individual wears their hair or has a disease that makes its mark in a physical form? I can tell you that people that choose to be like this are not my tribe, they are not the people I will choose to keep around me.

Lessons I’ve learned living with psoriasis

See I always considered myself a relatively non-judgmental person. The universe, however, has a way of showing you the true colors of others, including your own. Not an easy lesson to learn at all, I will tell you that from firsthand experience.

Over the last 12 years, I have learned so many valuable lessons and most of them at the hand of my psoriasis. This one is more of a continuous lesson, like the gift that keeps giving. If for nothing but this fact alone, I am thankful for my psoriasis. Getting this dreaded disease came with a bag full of lessons for my soul.

Something totally unrelated triggered this thought again. Someone near to me began to be derogatory about someone I care about deeply. I am no walk-over and I will stand up for what I believe is right, so I had my say and walked away. I was left feeling hurt, very angry and very thoughtful. While I feel that I could have said more, I decided not to as to preserve the relationship with this person.

Rise above the hurtful comments

If you find someone being cruel to you, passing an ugly comment about the way your skin looks, just smile and wave. Do not give them the pleasure of knowing that they got to you.

You just do you and know that no matter what your skin looks like, or how you chose to dress or what lifestyle you chose. You are enough, you are perfect just the way you are. No one is better than you.

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle - Philo of Alexandria