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Jun 9, 2023Liked by Stephanie Jucar Cooley

Self-hate is what naturally happens when we spend any time examining ourselves - because we are all flawed humans so we see flaws. In response, I find a measure of detachment and self-ridicule really healing. Like, I’m a dingus but that’s ok because so is everyone else and at least I know it

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Yes I love this, the detachment and humor is a great way to do it. Also, thank you for reminding me that dingus is a word I should be using more :)

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Jun 13, 2023Liked by Stephanie Jucar Cooley

Hey Stephanie, I'm sure many of us, if not all, can resonate with the feelings of self-hatred. I sure do and I'm with you on using it as fuel and channeling those negative thoughts into the greater good. I've found myself lately in a spiral of comparison which then makes me turn on myself. It's not easy to get out of at times but we are all only here trying our best and that's what counts :) x

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I saw my friend who read my post and she asked how I was doing and I said really great! She then responded with, do you still hate yourself 5 percent? I thought about it for a moment and the answer was YES! It shall always be there and make me human. The comparison trap is definitely a factor for making that percentage higher. It's hard when we see everyone doing well because that's what they share. I recently saw a writer I admire post her rejection for her piece with an editor and it really helped remind me that we all feel rejection (even though we know it, we still forget). That definitely helped me get out of that comparison rut at that moment and I've been trying to remember that example.

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Been pondering on similar thoughts this week, I feel like my latest post is in sync with this - maybe a mercury is in retrograde or something?! Wouldn't it be easy if we could blame everything on astrology? I feel like, even though living with mental illness and self loathing is hard, it's character building and part of the reason we write - who would we be without it?

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Exactly! I feel like all the crap in our head is like manure and what comes out can be a beautiful garden. I know, I loved your post today. You are a brilliant writer. When you talked about how when you were at your lowest, it was hard to write, I resonated with that. When I was at my lowest depths, the only thing I could do is the bare minimum to survive, if I wasn't thinking about how to just disappear. I look forward to your piece next time.

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