An “I-statement” focuses on your own feelings and experiences. It does not focus on your perspective of what the other person has done or failed to do.
Office of the Boston University Ombuds
I am human
- a woman
- a daughter
- a wife
- a mother
- a lover
- a caregiver
- a nurturer
- a provider
I am exhausted
- hurt
- angry
- uncomfortable
- scared
- doing my best
I have a right to say no
- to dislike something
- to ask for what I want or need
- to not be diminished or dismissed
- to not be belittled
- to rest when I need to
- to prioritize myself
- to have and respectfully express my own feelings out loud
- to no be held accountable for offenses committed by others
I am not harming others when I am being my authentic self
- not diminishing others when I speak my truth
- not taking from others when I give to myself
- not dishonoring others when I honor myself
I am an ally not an enemy
- a partner not a villain
- a friend not a foe
- a person not an emotional punching bag
I do not want to be a vessel for holding pain that is not my own
- a stand-in or effigy
- punished for past wrongs
- held responsible for things I didn’t actually do
I need to be treated respectfully
- spoken to respectfully
- listened to respectfully
- touched respectfully
- seen as I am, and not as I’m imagined to be
-gws
Words Wishes and Wisdom 