Our Shared Shelf discussion

Hello everyone!
I'd like to discuss a topic with you, a subject that I believe essential: the Self. I am aware it is a sensitive topic and I'm not sure if many people are willing to talk about it since when you talk about your Self it implies your share one of the most precious thing you have. In other words, you allow a certain vulnerability (which is not a weakness!).

First, I think it is important do define the Self, so according to you what is the Self, how would you describe it?

For me, just I like I said above the Self is our best treasure, it is the core. I tend to dissociate it from other parts of me, for instance it's different from my physical essence even if I believe it is tightly linked. To me it is more related to the mental health, a depression or deep anxiety would be, in my opinion, a problem of the Self. For example a lack of Self-Confidence.
I often associate my Self to different shapes, sometimes it has the face of a really young boy (probably me when I was young) or some kind of atmosphere/essence that comes from me, go through me and surround me a bit like a warm blanket.
I believe that if my Self is feeling bad my entire "being" will feel bad and empty.
It is the voice that tells me to hold on when things crumbles, my best supporter and advisor. The core of my energy.

Ps: I admit that this topic is related to the Skype debate of tonight and I believe (like other people) it was good to create bridges.

I mean by the Self: who we are, the inner part. I tend to believe that a human is composed of different parts. For example, the body is one part which is physical.
It's difficult to define what we mean by the Self that's why I ask how people who define the notion of Self.
So I don't really answer your question, sorry.

Sure :) I mean, it's a difficult topic, maybe that's why I wanted to approach it. I hope some people will jump into it to decipher stuff and things.

i think there's a difference when talking about myself as compared to my Self. yes, it is an essence of my energy, my spirit, and my being, encompassing mental and emotional parts of me. to me, it is the intangibles.

confidence, worth, perspective, perception, esteem - all these contribute to my Self, which, in turn, directs and encourages me to become active in more tangible ways: decisions, behaviors, thoughts, perspectives and perceptions of the people and the world around me emanate from how i feel about myself, how i act and react in real life.

so, my view of myself stems from the experiences that have shaped my Self. that view, in turn, orchestrates my actions in the present. these experiences, then, add to the information of how i cope in and travel through life, which can also change my Self.

it's a neverending, fluid process that makes up the Me which i present to the world. my Self is not the same now as it was 50 yrs. ago, and probably won't be the same this time next year as long as i continue to be open to learning more about my Self, and willing to change what's necessary to have a stronger, more capable Self.

quite existential, all of this. abstract. not too easy to assimilate and put into words something i'm confident exists. good exercise for the brain, tho. what a way to wake up this morning!

I agree, the Self and oneself are quite different I'm glad you brought that up. Intangible is the term, in my opinion, impalpable we cannot touch it but we feel it.

Indeed, a quite difficult exercise but a great one. It's a complexe subject, maybe that's why I love it and why I wanted to discuss it.

I'll let people share their vision of the Self.

Thanks for your input Sandra, your words seem wise to me!