There is a lot of power in knowing that you are not alone in what you are feeling, thinking or experiencing.
It can reassure us that there isn't something wrong with us, and what we are feeling is normal. Most importantly it stops us from creating negative self-talk about ourselves.
The other day my daughter said "I had this thought at school and I wondered if others thought about this too. Then I realized they probably did but no one really said it out loud."
Ahhhhh! No one ever told me or taught me this when I was her age. I just kept thinking that it was probably just me.
Now she has the knowing that she probably isn't alone and that it is OK and normal for her to feel what she is feeling.
This is powerful and comforting.
Especially when we feel self-doubt, insecure or "not good enough."
Imagine kids knowing that their parents, their favorite singer, their friends - all feel this way at times too. They are not alone.
When my kids are going through something, I use those opportunities to share my own stories of when I went through something similar or had similar feelings (without making it all about me and after listening to them).
I can always see the curiosity in their eyes, the wheels turning in their mind but most of all, I can sense their relief that they are not alone.
Over time, this will become something they remind themselves of no matter what they are going through because as different as we all are, a lot of our human experiences and emotions are quite similar.
This knowing becomes a part of their Inner Strength.
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