Insecurities are made from our thoughts and beliefs. They are a collection of negative thoughts and ideas that make us feel like we are not good enough or less than others in comparison.
Not only can insecurities limit us from living a happy life, but they also greatly affect our mental wellbeing.
Having insecurities can feel crippling at times, it makes us scared to embrace opportunities and stops us from enjoying different experiences in life.
Insecurities make us feel very lonely and afraid.
It is a part of our shadow self that we tend to hide close to us for the fear of other people really knew what we thought about ourselves.
Every one of us can have insecurities, not many are immune from that.
The biggest mistake is to give them too much power over you.
We all have little things that we feel like could improve or that we don’t like, that are natural.
It is not natural when your insecurities stop you from enjoying the great things in life like friendship, love, or fun experiences.
Working on overcoming your insecurities may take some time depending on your willingness and fortitude.
Insecurities do not go away just because you work on them, learning to overcome insecurities is a skill that takes time and practice to master.
Because insecurities come from our thoughts and beliefs, we must work on our mental strength to overcome them.
Understand insecurities are just thoughts
First insecurities come as thoughts.
It is the emotions that you connect with the negative thoughts that give them the most power over you.
If your natural hair color is blonde but someone tells you that you have naturally dark brown hair, would you believe them, certainly not?
Because you know that is not true, you would disagree and disregard that comment and move on.
It is hard for us to move on from negative thoughts about ourselves because many times we are uncertain if it is true or not, so we rely on others’ input to confirm if it is a fact.
Relying on the sole opinions of others can be misleading.
When it comes to your self-esteem that is something that only you can set the standard for.
I know many of you might come from a place where you were never treated that you were good enough as you are.
I know the pain and the struggles of that, if you weren’t loved as you are as a child you grow up to think that there is nothing loveable about you.
This is not true.
Each person on this earth is unique and special because there will only be one of you.
No one else will have the same mind, body, and soul as you.
Become stronger than your insecurities
This skill takes self-awareness on your part.
To fix a problem, you have to first know where the problem lies.
What is the root that triggers your insecurities?
As previously said, insecurities start with thoughts, it’s when we add strong emotions to them that they become overpowering.
I know that many individuals have certain insecurities with their physical appearance.
They compare their present state with popular celebrities and societal standards.
Perhaps it has more to do with acceptance than changing the way you look.
As we can see that all around the world there are different standards of beauty, so in fact, these standards are only personal preferences set by a group of people.
Acceptance is a tricky topic, you give others control as to dictate whether you are good enough in their eyes.
Be careful of who you give this power to, some might never have your best interest at heart in the first place, and others could end up being more insecure than you.
Build up your mental and emotional strength by first accepting yourself for the good and the bad parts you see in yourself.
When you can accept the worst parts of yourself, no one will be able to use that against you.
Who is your support system
Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure that you are not, in fact, just surrounded by a**holes.
William Gibson
Do you hang around people who support you and lift you?
If you are only around people who constantly criticize, take advantage of, or make you feel they are better than you, then it is time to rethink these friendships.
True friendships are built around respect, trust, and emotional support.
If you do indeed have people that you can truly call friends, share with them not only your great parts but aside from you that might need some support from them as well.
To not feel like you are burdening them with your problems you make your friendships of equal give and take.
The bonds in our lives become stronger not through the good times but more so through the hardships that we can endure together.
Set your own standards
Find people that you admire for their individuality, character, or values.
Attributes like these live on far longer than anything by the means of physical appearance or superficial substance.
Insecurities often stem from you comparing yourself to others. Making you feel less than, or not at the same level as others.
The standard that you are following is very important.
Who are you striving to be like and why?Before you compare yourself to anything or anyone, make sure you understand who set these standards and why you are trying to follow them.
What is your opinion of these standards and why are they important to you?
When you follow an idea or belief make sure you understand the nature of it and why you want to follow along with it.
It is okay to also set your standard of who and what you want to be even if it is not a popular trend.
It’s not about being perfect
There is no such thing as being perfect, striving for perfection will not only drive you mad but will also push the people closest to you away when it becomes an obsession.
It is easier to strive for personal excellence than it is for perfection.
Start by making a list of personal goals that you want to achieve for yourself.
Who and how do you want to be viewed in this world? What mark are you trying to achieve? What is your legacy?
Not only will this give you more purpose in life, but you also start to build more and more self-esteem as you achieve these goals.
Where there is great self-esteem there is little room for insecurities.
When you have self-esteem, you are certain of yourself and your abilities.
You not only become mentally stronger, but you find that you have great abilities and qualities that override insecure thoughts.
