Labels (2017)

I do not consider myself to be an interesting person. I am your average, every day, run of the mill mom, wife, woman. It’s funny because I have always believed that everyone has a life story that would make a book interesting enough for anyone to read. I guess that’s just the voyeur in me. Yet when I look at myself I just see… me. Nothing special. Nothing worth writing about or sharing with others. So this morning I’m asking myself “what makes me different”? I really can’t come up with anything. While nothing might make me ‘different’ than others I suppose there are a few characteristics that others have pointed out as those that might define me.

I am compassionate.
I am passionate.
I am radical.
I am loving.
I am kind.
I am intelligent.
I am intuitive.

These are all things that I’ve been TOLD that I ‘am’. But what about the things that I see in myself? I see some of the things that others see. There are a few others that I suppose I could add to the list.

I am empathetic.
I am self-conscious.
I am fearful.
I am a planner.
I am obsessive.

Realistically the list could go on if I thought hard enough on it. But why label ourselves? How does it help us to compartmentalize ourselves and shove ourselves into tiny little boxes of who we are and who we must be? What purpose does it serve?

For me it gives me a gauge on my growth and/or stagnation. It helps with self-awareness~ especially as it pertains to my mental health. There are many people that hate and disagree with labels; however, for me, personally, being “labeled” (per se ie: my mental illness) was an “ah ha” moment. Every time I hear “you are” or think “I am…” it’s like I say to that girl inside “oh there you are!”

Labels aren’t always a bad thing. Sometimes, if a person allows them to, they can become static and cause stagnation. I think, though, that many times labels can be freeing by helping us understand ourselves better and see ourselves in a different light on a different level of being.

I was freed by the label of “bipolar”. I (eventually) allowed myself to be freed by the label of “radical” (although that one took some time, I’ll admit). It’s even freeing to admit that I’m self-conscious or obsessive because once I admit it, I can work on it.
Don’t let your labels cause you to be locked in a little box of who you are supposed to be. Use them to your advantage. Allow them to free you and apply to who you are and raise you to who you can be.