Assertiveness Punch Cards
We as people are punished for advocating for ourselves.
The constant gaslighting of living in a world with people who don't care about your best interests often causes self doubt and low self esteem.
The best way to rebuild confidence is standing up for yourself. For many this is not only difficult, but terrifying. "Consequences" of standing up against people who don't treat you well are often not nearly as bad as you would assume. But you aren't going to see that unless you stop being a doormat. Most bullies are cowards in the end and calling their bluff tends to shut them up. Standing your ground is life changing.
Rejecting things that make you uncomfortable is self care.
It's important to reward yourself when you take care of yourself. Telling someone "No" is self care. Telling a bully to "shut up" is self care. Putting yourself first when you are used to taking care of others is self care. Rejecting things that make you uncomfortable is self care. And you need to take care of yourself.
I made some punch cards for being assertive and taking care of yourself. When you do something difficult, you can get a rush of dopamine with trackable progress and rewards. It's formatted for printer paper so if you get cardstock you can cut out some business card sized punch cards for your wallet.
So practice some self care and tell 10 people to shut up (or the same person 10 times) and then buy an ice cream.
It can be anything. Buy a plant, a bag of tea, or something that might give you type 2 diabetes if not enjoyed sparingly. But do something that makes you feel better about living in this hellacious world.
