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Am I Validating Myself Enough?

Lesson Plan

The Art of Self-Validation

Adults will learn to identify and practice self-validation techniques to acknowledge and accept their own emotions and experiences, fostering self-compassion.

Learning self-validation is crucial for building a strong sense of self, reducing dependence on others' opinions, and cultivating inner peace. It empowers individuals to trust their inner experience and respond to themselves with kindness.

Audience

Adults

Time

40 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, guided practice, and personal reflection.

Materials

Your Inner Compass Slide Deck, Recognizing My Feelings Warm-Up, Self-Validation Statement Builder Worksheet, and Pens/Pencils

Prep

Preparation

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction & Warm-Up: Recognizing My Feelings

10 minutes

Step 2

What is Self-Validation?

10 minutes

  • Introduce the concept of self-validation using Your Inner Compass Slide Deck (Slides 3-5).
    - Explain that self-validation is about acknowledging and accepting our own internal experiences (thoughts, feelings, sensations) as valid, without judgment.
    - Discuss the difference between validation and agreement. Emphasize that validating doesn't mean agreeing with an emotion or thought, but recognizing its presence and understanding why it might be there.
    - Engage participants with questions: 'Why do you think self-validation is important?', 'What happens when we don't validate ourselves?'

Step 3

Practicing Self-Validation: The Statement Builder

15 minutes

  • Introduce the Self-Validation Statement Builder Worksheet.
    - Guide participants through the worksheet, demonstrating how to build self-validation statements using the provided prompts. (Refer to Your Inner Compass Slide Deck - Slides 6-8)
    - Encourage participants to think of a recent, mild emotional experience to practice with.
    - Circulate and offer support as participants work on their statements.
    - Invite a few volunteers to share a non-sensitive example of a self-validation statement they created.

Step 4

Conclusion & Reflection

5 minutes

  • Recap the main points about self-validation. (Refer to Your Inner Compass Slide Deck - Slide 9)
    - Encourage participants to commit to practicing one self-validation technique this week.
    - Ask: 'What is one thing you will take away from today about self-validation?'
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Slide Deck

Welcome: Finding Your Inner Compass

Understanding and responding to our inner world.

Welcome participants and introduce the session topic. Briefly mention the importance of emotional awareness.

Warm-Up: Recognizing My Feelings

Take a moment to complete your Recognizing My Feelings Warm-Up worksheet. Think about a recent emotion you experienced.

Explain the warm-up activity. Give clear instructions and time. Tell them to reflect on their feelings without judgment.

What is Validation?

Acknowledging and accepting another person's (or your own) internal experience as understandable.

Transition from the warm-up into the core concept. Ask participants for their initial thoughts on what 'validation' means.

The Power of Self-Validation

  • Recognizing your own thoughts, feelings, and sensations as valid.
  • Understanding why you feel what you feel.
  • It's not about agreeing with or liking the feeling, but accepting its presence.
  • Builds self-compassion and reduces reliance on external approval.

Deep dive into self-validation. Emphasize that it's about acknowledging, not necessarily agreeing or liking, the feeling.

Validation vs. Agreement

Self-validation is NOT:

  • Saying your feelings are 'right' or 'wrong'.
  • Justifying destructive behavior.
  • Avoiding problem-solving.

It IS:

  • 'I understand why I feel this way.'
  • 'My feelings make sense given the situation.'

Discuss common misconceptions. Highlight the difference between validation and agreement.

Building Self-Validation Statements

Using your Self-Validation Statement Builder Worksheet:

  1. Observe your emotion.
  2. Acknowledge your emotion.
  3. Connect your emotion to a cause.

Introduce the worksheet. Explain the three steps briefly before guiding them through it.

Example: Building a Statement

Scenario: Feeling frustrated after a meeting.

  1. Observe: 'I'm feeling really frustrated right now.'
  2. Acknowledge: 'It makes sense that I'm frustrated.'
  3. Connect to cause: 'I'm frustrated because my ideas weren't heard, and I spent a lot of time preparing them.'

Provide an example to make the process clear. Encourage them to use a mild, recent example from their own lives.

Your Turn: Practice Time!

Take 5-7 minutes to work on your own self-validation statements using the worksheet. Remember to choose a recent emotion.

Give participants time to work on their worksheets. Offer individual support and encourage sharing if comfortable.

Your Inner Compass: Guiding You Forward

Self-validation is a powerful tool for:

  • Building self-compassion.
  • Trusting your inner experiences.
  • Fostering emotional resilience.

Keep practicing! Your feelings matter.

Summarize the key takeaways and encourage continued practice. End with an inspiring thought about self-compassion.

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Warm Up

Recognizing My Feelings Warm-Up

Take a few moments to reflect on your emotions. Choose a recent experience (within the last day or two) where you felt a noticeable emotion.

  1. What was the situation or event that happened?





  2. What emotion(s) did you feel in that moment? (e.g., happy, sad, angry, anxious, surprised, frustrated, calm, etc.)





  3. Where did you feel this emotion in your body? (e.g., tight chest, knot in stomach, light head, relaxed shoulders)





  4. Without judgment, simply describe what you noticed about this emotion. For example, was it intense or mild? Did it last a long time or pass quickly?










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Am I Validating Myself Enough? • Lenny Learning