BY SARALYN TABACHNICK
For the UAS Whalesong

Relationships are everywhere, and we know how important they are. Yet it seems we most often look outside for relationships, external to ourselves. At AWARE, we believe the most important relationship you have is with yourself. Your relationships with your family, your Higher Power, your partner, your friends, your teachers- all these are critically important. Yet we recognize how you relate to yourself as most important. 

We are often harder on ourselves than we are on others. We judge ourselves more harshly, perhaps internally call ourselves names, or give ourselves no slack. We expect from ourselves what we wouldn’t expect from another person. If a friend made the same mistake, we’d find other ways to uplift them, we’d remind them we’re all human, we all make mistakes. When we choose to learn from our mistakes, we stop repeating them. We remember to breathe when we feel off center or out of balance, or to feel our feet on the floor when we feel ungrounded. We become better at being human, kinder to ourselves and others.

AWARE challenges you to reflect on your day, each day. As you recall it backwards, notice any blips in the screen- what stands out? What are you especially pleased about? What do you wish you’d done differently; upon reflection, in the same situation, what might you do or say next time?

The attitude and atmosphere you carry inside you cannot be separated from you. You’re with yourself 24 hrs/day; why not make it as pleasant as possible? Nurture and cherish your relationship with yourself; you’ll find a fascinating treasure. For more information about this, or about AWARE, please contact AWARE (Aiding Women in Abuse & Rape Emergencies) at 586-6623. Services are free and confidential.

Editor’s Note: Saralyn Tabachnick is the Executive Director of Aiding Women in Abuse and Rape Emergencies (AWARE). To quote the organization’s Facebook page, AWARE’s mission is to provide safe shelter and supportive services for women and children who have been subject to domestic or sexual violence; and to effect the social, political and legal changes needed to eliminate oppression and violence against women and children.