In section seven, I talked about the fear some individuals have of being labeled. One way to find a label stuck to your forehead is by using your illness to play upon the sympathies of others. I once had a coworker who had a curious habit. Whenever somebody spoke of a medical problem they had, she always felt a need to share something personal from her life. But she did it in such a way that, no matter what problem you had, hers was worse. If you told her you had a broken toe, she would say she had a broken foot. If you had a back pain, her whole body was in agony. This tendency of hers seemed like an attempt at forcing my sympathy. Why she felt the need to behave in such a way, I will never know. What I do know is that it made me suspicious of her character and honesty.
When abusing people’s caring and giving nature, you risk loosing their respect. Behaving in such a manner could mean not receiving help when truly needed. It may cause you to be branded something you perhaps aren’t. Most importantly, the respect you have for yourself will be diminished. Only by being truthful with the people in your life and by being true to yourself will your feelings of self-worth grow.
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