Just for today, do not say one mean, harsh, judgmental or critical thing about yourself to yourself or to anyone else.
This is an exercise in acceptance.
Choose to be loving towards every facet of your personality, your mind and your body today.
The more difficult this is for you to do, the more it may show what a deeply grooved habit self loathing is, and how invested you may be in old hurts and resentments. In my experience these lead me to circular thinking, which works directly against trying to partner with God on removing my character defects (Steps 6 and 7). It's not about being a Pollyanna, it's about unblocking your spirit to help growth and change. (And really, if feeling shitty about yourself was an effective way to change things, don't you think you'd be farther along on some stuff by now?)
Yes, alcoholism is a disease of self obsession, and self loathing is a manifestation of that. But it is also just plain toxic and self destructive, and is a serious impediment to "walking in the sunlight of the spirit."
I don't believe some Divine Force intervened on my behalf and helped me get sober, only so that I can be a self-hating, miserable wretch.
And if that's true for me then I bet it's true for you, too.
