Dear Human 💕,

I see you asking yourself a lot what you should or shouldn’t do. It seems like you’re questioning what you are allowed to do.

It looks like I need to remind you what you are allowed to just because you are human.

The Bill of Rights for Humans

Every human has the right to…

§ 1 Kindness & Respect

• be treated kindly (even by yourself)
• be treated with respect
• be listened to
• be taken seriously
• be treated as someone who matters

§ 2 Be Imperfect & Uncertain

• be imperfect
• be uncertain
• be wrong sometimes
• be insecure
• make mistakes
• struggle
• not know (yet) what you want or need or feel or think

§ 3 Feel, Think & Express Yourself

• feel whatever you feel (all feelings are okay, including the difficult ones)
• think your own thoughts (not what you’re “supposed” to think)
• have complicated, conflicting, or messy thoughts and feelings
• make sense of your experiences in your own way
• express yourself and what’s true for you (in whatever way feels right)

§ 4 Define Your Own Life

• live by what’s important to you
• define how you want to spend your time and your life
• define who you want to spend your time and life with
• define who you want to be
• define your own rules for your universe

§ 5 Speak Up & Protect Yourself

• ask for what you need or want
• say what’s not acceptable to you
• say no
• leave a situation you are not comfortable with
• ask for help
• stand up for yourself or others

§ 6 Disagree & Question

• ask questions
• talk about topics others are uncomfortable with
• challenge or question others and their opinion
• disagree
• be disliked (you’re not for everybody) and dislike others
• change your mind

§ 7 Take Care of Yourself

• take care of yourself
• take breaks
• rest
• sleep in
• put yourself first sometimes

§ 8 Enjoy Life

• be interested in whatever you find interesting
• dislike whatever you don’t like (activities, food, anything)
• enjoy whatever you find enjoyable
• have fun
• enjoy life

§ 9 Grow & Explore

• be curious
• explore
• be creative
• try things
• be bad at things (that’s how you learn)
• celebrate progress and successes (your own and those of others)

§ 10 Appreciate Yourself

• appreciate yourself
• see yourself as work in progress
• recognize your strengths (and accept your weaknesses)
• acknowledge your efforts
• celebrate your progress (even if it feels tiny) and successes
• notice what you bring to the world

Grant those rights to every human – including yourself!

Whenever you’re questioning what you’re allowed to do, keep reminding yourself that you have these rights.

You have the right to be human.

You have the right to be yourself.

I know you’re struggling with a few of those. And while it might feel uncomfortable at first to exercise some of these rights, that’s okay. Start small. Pick one right and practice it this week. Then pick another. You don’t have to claim all your rights at once. Just start claiming them.

Some humans might not always grant those rights to other humans. Don’t let them get away with it. You have the right to insist on them! For yourself and others.

Yours,
Cat 🐾

P.S. Some humans will not like it when you exercise these rights. Especially if they’ve been benefiting from you not knowing or questioning that you have them. Let them be uncomfortable. Your rights don’t depend on their approval.