Music Therapy for Rejection or Low Self-Confidence: Thank You Brother Ali!

This song NEVER fails to lift me up and return me to a better place within myself. It's my go-to song for when I feel like crap about myself, or am struggling with feeling misunderstood, judged, overlooked, or rejected by others (imagined or real - or the difficulty of not knowing!). I'm sure it is well known that feelings of low self-worth and confidence span much of the spectrum of most human suffering, and are rarely absent in therapy ("transdiagnostic" in clinical lingo). Basically, it's serious stuff. It's pervasive. And seriously harmful.

Fortunately, Brother Ali, the brilliant artist/rapper/musician, has a gift for anyone willing to listen. This song is a triumph of seeing one's self and all parts of one's self with the utmost clarity, love, and appreciation. If you struggle with any of these feelings, I hope this helps you, too. By the way, he identifies as white/caucasian, male, Muslim, albino, husband, and father, among others.

Thank you Brother Ali!

---Link to video and lyrics below--

LYRICS: Forest Whitaker - Brother Ali

And yo whatever comes up comes out We don't put our hands over our mouth And whatever comes up comes out We don't put our hands over our mouth Whatever comes up comes out

Hey, yo, dependin' on the day, and dependin' on what I ate I'm anywhere from twenty to thirty-five pounds overweight I got red eyes and one of them's lazy And they both squint when the sun shines so I look crazy

I'm albino, man, I know I'm pink and pale And I'm hairy as hell, everywhere but fingernails I shave a cranium that ain't quite shaped right Face type, shiny, I stay up and write late nights

My wardrobe is jeans and faded shirts A mixture of what I like and what I wear to work I'm not mean and got a neck full of razor bumps I'm not the classic profile of what the ladies want

You might think I'm depressed as can be But when I look in the mirror I see sexy-ass me! And if that's somethin that you can't respect then that's peace My life's better without you, actually

To everyone out there, who's a little different I say damn a magazine, these is God's fingerprints You can call me ugly but can't take nothing from me I am what I am, doctor, you ain't gotta love me

If you would please turn in your Bible To beauty tips according to Forest Whitaker In the third chapter of the third line Brother Ali, would you please read to the choir for me, son

I'ma be all right You ain't gotta be my friend tonight (you ain't gotta love me) And I'ma be okay You would probably bore me anyway (you ain't gotta love me) I'ma be all right You ain't gotta be my friend tonight (you ain't gotta love me) And I'ma be okay You would probably bore me anyway (you ain't gotta love me) And I'ma be all right You ain't gotta be my friend tonight (you ain't gotta love me) And I'ma be okay You would probably bore me anyway (you ain't gotta love me)

Forest Whitiker y'all Forest Whitiker y'all