The following is the list I received from a Crisis Worker (who by the way was the nicest mental health care professional I have come across in person).
1.I have the right to protect and warm my body
2. I have the right to rest and repair my body
3. I have the right to avoid injury and sickness
4. I have the right to love myself
5. I have the right to believe I am of worth
6. I have the right to believe I have teh capacity to change and progress
7. I have the right to soemtimes put my own needs, wants and desires first
8. I have the right to make mistakes (and accept responsibility for them)
9. I have the right to protect my privacy
10. I have the right to play and refresh my strength
11. I have the right to work according to my taletns
12. I have the right to think and feel according to my convictions
13. I have the right to change my minde
14. I have the right to waste time
15. I have the right to be happy and joyful
16. I have the right to choose others to love and nurture
17. I have the right to have my own friends
18. I have the right to be loved
19. I have the right to not be abused by others
20. I have the right to protest unfair treatment or criticism by others
21. I have the right to be judged by all I am rather than by my mistakes
22. I have the right to negotiate with others for change
23. I have the right to ask for help and emotional support
24. I have the right to not take responsiilbity for someone else's problems
25. I have the right to be appreciated as a person in my own right, not as an extension or an appendage of someone else
27. I have the right to be acknowledged as a person who contributes to society, no matter how small the contribution might be
28. I have the right to not justify my decisions to others
29. I have the right to say, "I don't know", "I don't understand", and "I don't care!"
30. I have the right to assert my personal boundaries and limits.
I carry this list with me everywhere I go, it is one of my security blankies and I feel empowered just knowing it is there for me.
