The Practice of Self-Worth with Psoriasis

I recently attended a conference in which a speaker by the name of Dr. Christina Hibbert presented “The Pyramid of Self-Worth.” I feel compelled to share some of her presentation with you here.

Why? Well, most of us that live with psoriasis have a very low opinion of our self-worth. It seems the minute psoriasis appears or spreads; our thoughts can turn ugly. However, it is psoriasis that looks ugly, not the person whose body it is infecting.

Self-worth is a practice worth doing. Start here.

Those of us who live we psoriasis, we can be so hard on ourselves. The emotional toll can be so heavy. It doesn't help when we receive judgment or unsolicited comments about our skin. Don't people know we're trying our best?

I mean, it's obvious that psoriasis can have a significant impact on our self-worth and how we feel about ourselves. Dr. Hibbert provided three areas in which to build self-worth. Some of it might not be where you are personally in your journey, but I hope you find some encouragement in each.

Self-awareness is key

Dr. Hibbert started out by saying that you have to see yourself before you can accept who you are. Personally, I can tell you that it took me a long time to come to this first step. My eyes and mind only wanted to see my psoriasis skin. I lost who I was – my hopes, dreams, and all the things I wanted to accomplish.

I felt completely alone. Before psoriasis, I was confident and didn’t care what anyone thought of me. After psoriasis, I forgot who I was as a person. Now I see myself again not as someone who is ugly because of psoriasis but as a stronger person for having to live with a disease that would cripple most people.

Who are you? I bet you are as strong as I am. Yes, you have psoriasis, but that does not make you the person you are inside.

Self-Acceptance

Dr. Hibbert stated that feeling your true worth is a crucial element. When you begin to accept that you are a person who is more than just psoriasis, then you can better accept the cards you have been dealt. Self-acceptance can only come from you.

It is not something that can be taught in a book. By accepting yourself as you are, it's another step in building your own self-worth and a part of the journey to feeling more confident as you are. As you build self-worth, you become less concerned with what others think of you based on how your skin looks.

The practice of self-love

Dr. Hibbert stated that the hardest love to let in is the love for ourselves. Boy, is there a lot of truth to that statement. If you don’t love yourself, then how you feel about yourself probably needs some work. You're worthy of doing the work. The first step is forward.

You are more than your psoriasis. Find that part of you then you can begin to love that part of you and nurture you.

The journey of self-worth is a practice, not a destination.

Of course, all of this is not easy, but it's work worth doing. Who you are as a person, it's so much more than your psoriasis condition. You have likes, interests, hobbies, and feelings that all cause a ripple in this great world.

Dr. Hibbert stated that we must learn to see and accept the good, the bad, the ugly, and the exceptional. The exceptional is you! The ugly is psoriasis. The bad is we let it take our self-worth. The good is that we can get it back.

Learn to love yourself by accepting that you are more than your psoriasis. It will be an ongoing practice, and other there is no switch that can turn it completely off. This is one step in taking back control and getting your self-worth back. Makes this journey of living with psoriasis more bearable.