Name: Shane Nicole C.

Somido Date: July 29, 2022

Section: BSCESEP-1B

Understanding the Self: Activity

Instruction: Write an essay describing yourself through different aspects of the Self:
1. PHYSICAL SELF – During my teenage years, I’ve been pressured to fit in with society’s standards.
My hair is curly and I have a curvy body type. I felt insecure about my physical appearance because I
wanted to be skinny. As years passed by, I learned the art of not caring about other people’s opinions
about my body. I’ve learned to love myself and accept that everyone is unique. I’ve been active in
physical activities since 2020 because I want to be healthy for myself, especially during the time of the
pandemic. Each day, I fall in love more with my body and am happy with it. I also tried to learn more
about my body; about my menstrual cycle, anatomy, healthy diet, etc. I’ve never been better than this
ever. I'm better now. After experiencing bullying during my elementary years, I can say that I already
forgive them for their hurtful words about my appearance, and I already forgive myself for letting me
suffer for years because of their invalid opinions about my body.

2. SEXUAL SELF – When I was a kid, I already had the mindset that sex should only be done inside of
marriage because sex is only for married couples. I tend to think badly about people who engage in
sexual activities despite not being married first and people who have a child out of wedlock. When our
teacher was teaching us about the reproductive system way back in 5th grade, I was enlightened that
sex is a biological thing for humans. Also, I learned that each of us has the right to decide on our sexual
selves, and I should not judge them as long as they don’t hurt anyone and they are responsible. After
reading a lot of books, I also found out that virginity is just a social construct and hymen is not strong
evidence of virginity. It is a taboo that needs to be tackled, especially among women. I also explored
myself in terms of my reproductive system and my sexual orientation, and it helped me to know myself
even more. I also have this experience when my mom is shocked that I am using a menstrual cup even
though I haven’t had any sexual intercourse. But after I shared my knowledge with her, she understood
it. I’m just glad that at a young age, I’m able to understand my body and my sexual health, and I’m
able to share this knowledge with my loved ones as well.

3. MATERIAL SELF – People who are close to my heart know how clingy I am. I tend to hug, kiss, and
say words of endearment to them every time. For me, my loved ones are my most prized possession. I
love to socialize and talk with them. Having them in my life makes everything feel much better. I
always spoil them with gifts and words of affirmation to let them know how much I love them.
However, this is also my problem sometimes. I’m having a hard time cutting ties with toxic people in
my life because I value them so much. But slowly, I’m trying to learn that. I just find it hard to end the
relationship with people because these relationships are one of the most special things that I have.

4. SPIRITUAL SELF – I love reading things about existence, life, and truth. As to what Sartre’s slogan
pertained-"existence precedes essence”, I often think about my real purpose in this world. I always try
to figure it out because I’m afraid that my life will just come to an end without me having my purpose
 finished in this world. Despite this worry, I always pray to God to show me my real essence because I
want to make my life worthwhile. Right now, I’m slowly figuring it out. I think meditation and
journaling helped me connect with myself more. I’ve been journaling for the past 2 years and I can see
how much I've developed my connection to myself and to the world.

5. POLITICAL SELF – When I was younger, I was very easily influenced by the people around me
regarding politics and social issues. I just listen to them and think that maybe it is right because they
are older than me and they know better. While I was in Grade 9, we often talked about the “tokhang”
issue. We even used it as our inspiration for our short film. At a young age, we are aware of socio-
political issues. Especially last election, I was vocal on the issues regarding the candidates. I always
stick to my morals and choose the candidate who represents my values and goals for the country. I
would say that having an active political self, helped me to be more emphatic towards others.

6. DIGITAL SELF – I am very private on social media, but I still show my real identity. While using
social media, I always think that everything in the digital space can be seen by others. As much as
possible, I try to be emphatic, and responsible, and I avoid as well to hurt others. In terms of my past
digital self, I used to be unrealistic. I just post happy and perfect things because I’m pressured and
afraid of being judged by others on social media. I always posted toxic positivity before and it affected
my real self. I now try to be as authentic as possible because when I portray a persona in the digital
world that is very far from the real me, the only person that I fool is myself.