Strengthening the Authentic Self

Disclaimer: I am speaking from personal experience and am not a professional offering psychiatric or medical advice. If you are experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, or disordered eating please seek help from a licensed professional.

This might sound crazy but stick with me. I believe we all have a committee in our heads. Did I lose you? Allow me to explain.

The double-edged sword of the human existence is that people are multi-faceted beings with depth and a wide array of personality traits. That being said, there are also members of our internal committee that might be more prominent during specific moments in time. During more stress-inducing periods, like the pandemic, a more anxious committee member might rear it’s ugly head and create a paralyzing stress response in the body. Those who have experienced eating disorders know that ED is an incredibly dark and cruel committee member that takes the stage when the body senses danger and is desperate for comfort. The issue is, this false sense of comfort through controlling food and weight causes extreme damage to the body and hijacks the authentic self to the point where those suffering become a shell of themselves.

To be clear, not all committee members are harmful. The most significant and positive of all is the authentic self. This is the person who can love others unconditionally. This is the person who speaks to one’s self with respect and compassion. This is the person who is not regretful of the past or fearful of the future. This is the person, in this present moment, who radiates from the inside out. Methods for strengthening the authentic self include nourishing the body with nutritious food, surrounding one’s self with kind and loyal friends, moving the body in a way that feels good, meditation, journaling, and the list goes on. There is a point when the authentic self grows so strong that the other, more toxic, committee members once relied upon do not quite cut it.

Then there are those people who help to bring out this part of ourselves. The people who celebrate the unfiltered, messy, beautifully unique whole person. Although it is ultimately up to us create our foundation, there is something so special about the people who remind us of who we are.

Please know that we all have the potential to fall into the trap of trusting not-so-healthy committee members. The body is truly amazing - it will turn to the most available option for survival amid trauma. Speaking from experience, the more we choose nourishment over starvation, calm over anxiety, community over isolation - that is when the power shifts. Maybe we begin to take ownership of our health. Maybe we say something kind to ourselves in the mirror or meet ourselves with grace when we enjoy a little too much pumpkin spice cake (tis the season).

No matter how our innermost authentic selves manifest, actively participating in life from a place of empowerment as opposed to fear feels pretty damn good.