Directions: It would be difficult to find wellness in your life if you surrender to a victim mentality. Building wellness and healthy self-esteem require that you move beyond “the victim” and begin to live to your fullest capacity. Following, you will find statements that an unhealthy “victim” might use. Read the statement carefully and devise an alternate statement that a person determined to be well and a person with healthy self-esteem might use.

EXAMPLE

Victim: You can't imagine what my childhood was like.

Healthy: I had a very unhealthy childhood because my father left when I was three. However, I have forgiven him for leaving and I have forgiven my mother for going back to him so many times. I have moved on.

Activity: Bury the Victim

Victim: I just can't do anything about my weight.

Healthy:

Victim: My friends got me hooked on drugs and now there's nothing I can do about it.

Healthy:

Victim: Alcoholism runs in my family and I'm just prone to drinking.

Healthy:

Victim: I've tried every type of diet and exercise in the book and there is no hope for me.

Healthy:

In the spaces following, list two victim statements that you have used. Then, turn those statements into healthy statements.

Victim:

Healthy:

Victim:

Healthy:

How does being a victim suppress your wellness?

How has the “victim mentality” hindered you from living life to the fullest in the past? Why and how?

Select one of your previous statements. Using the goal sheet in the back of the book, develop an action plan to eliminate this statement from your life.