"Woe is me" no more

By Alfred J. Gemrich

HAVE YOU EVER felt sorry for yourself? Indulged in a little harmless self-pity? Maybe even held a pity party? I have. In fact, when I went through a divorce some years ago, I became particularly adept at the game. I refined the technique so efficiently that whenever the feelings of loss and sadness were building up, I would look at my watch and say, "I will give myself ten minutes of self-pity and then get back to the business at hand."

Even after I remarried and began to study Christian Science, I occasionally lapsed into a "woe is me" mentality. I never did anything to stop it, because I did not see it as a habit that should be healed. I took it merely as a signal to deal with the sense of loss, setback, or whatever situation triggered the mood.

But healing did come. It came unexpectedly and instantly. I was driving home one evening after a long and trying day at work. I felt alone and unappreciated, with no prospect of any probable change in the troubling situation. Just as I began to indulge in self-pity, I became aware that doing so does more harm than good.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

ELIMINATE THE "CANNOTS"