Personal Bill of Rights

This post is about a wonderful tool that we were taught in Cog (Cognitive Therapy) to help us practice assertion skills and to help empower ourselves. This is a copy of a document called the "Personal Bill of Rights" straight from my Sharp Mesa Vista Cognitive Therapy Manual:

I have the right to...

1. Ask for what I want
2. Say "NO" to requests or demands I cannot meet
3. Express all of my feelings, both positive and negative
4. Change my mind
5. Make mistakes and to not be perfect
6. Follow my own values and standards
7. Say "NO" to anything when I feel I am not ready, it is unsafe or it violates my values
8. Determine my own priorities
9. Not be responsible for others' behaviors, feelings or problems
10. Expect honesty from others
11. Be angry with someone I love
12. Be uniquely myself
13. Feel scared and say, "I'm afraid"
14. Say, "I don't know"
15. Not give excuses or reasons for my behavior
16. Make decisions based on my own feelings
17. My own needs for personal space and time
18. Be playful and frivolous
19. Be healthier than those around me
20. Be playful and frivolous
21. Be in a non-abusive environment
22. Make friends and feel comfortable around people
23. Change and grow
24. Have my needs and wants respected by others
25. Be treated with dignity and respect
26. Be happy