I Spoke to Myself in a Human Voice

Dear Delyara, I made a mistake today and did something unusual: I spoke to myself the way I would speak to someone I care about. Not dramatically. Not with affirmations. Just humanly. “That was a lot.” “You’re tired.” “Try again.” “It’s okay.” I don’t think I realized how revolutionary ordinary self-kindness still feels to me. My inner voice has been harsh for so long that gentleness still surprises me when it appears. Maybe self-love doesn’t start as love. Maybe it starts as refusing cruelty.