Writing Down the Bones

Writing Down the Bones is a book by Natalie Goldberg. I highly recommend it, especially if you want to start writing. It's all about letting go and just writing. No thinking, no processing, no analyzing, just writing. I'm not very good at that, since I'm pretty self-conscious, but I suppose practice makes perfect.

Self-consciousness: undue awareness of oneself.
Undue: unwarranted or inappropriate because excessive or disproportionate
There should always be some self-awareness. Without that, the path to offense and/or embarrassment is wide open. When does it become self-conscious, though? When does it become obsessive and inappropriate? Looking presentable and nice in order to make a good impression is important, but when does dressing appropriately and taking good hygienic care of oneself become vanity?
I consider myself a fairly self-conscious person. I think of what others will think of me and the people around me. Often I find myself wonder "If...then..." and have to remind myself not to over-analyze. It's hard sometimes. I try so hard to be accepted by people. Maybe I shouldn't care so much.

Question - why do dictionary definitions always contain words longer than the word being defined?

Love,
Sarah @)~