on Shame

(I did not write this and don’t know who did. It was shared with me by a patient, and I thought it deserved to be more widely shared.)

shame never tells the truth
it tells you you are not good enough
the truth is you are
it tells you you have to be perfect
the truth is you don’t
it tells you your mistakes are fatal wounds
the truth is you heal
it tells you everything has fallen apart
the truth is you will rebuild
it tells you that you will stay sunken in despair
the truth is you will rise.