066 |Finding Joy in Being Yourself

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SS028 Shepherd & The Shrink Finding Joy in Being Yourself

Self-love is both crucial and easily misunderstood. Disproportionate numbers of people view themselves as a burden, seeing everything bad that happens to them as a result of their flaws and thinking that they don’t deserve anything good. Overcorrecting, people often encourage complete self-acceptance and total rejection of the possibility of flaws.

Today, we talk about real self-love, which is actually often founded in pride. We note that God’s voice never belittles. We talk about the dangers of envy, and how the talented people around us don’t take anything from us; they just add good to the world. We note that St. Paul doesn’t care about what anyone but God thinks of him, and discuss why we should look to him for an example. We emphasize our identity in Christ. We talk about knowing your boundaries and how to react to judgmental people. We end with a call to accept God and give up the things keeping us from Him.

“We learn to love ourselves the way we are loved.” Dr. Marty Fletcher

This week on Shepherd & the Shrink:

  • The vulnerability of children

  • The danger of comparing ourselves to others

  • The difference between self-love and radical self-acceptance

  • Discerning instead of automatically accepting the judgment of others

  • Being pleasantly dissatisfied with yourself

  • Knowing your boundaries

Resources mentioned

Bringing Mental Health and Spirituality Together

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Shepherd & the Shrink Podcast with your hosts Dr. Matt Hook and Dr. Martin Fletcher, the show where theology meets psychology. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.



Martin Fletcher