I know that this is something that's hard to believe for a lot of people; I have trouble believing it myself still. Low self-esteem and low self-confidence can break you and have you believing lies about yourself. You won't see yourself the way others that care about you do. Once it sets in, it's hard to get out.
So how does it occur in the first place? Well, there's no one right answer here. Low self-esteem and low self-confidence can arise from any of the following: parents saying they wish you never had you, someone cheating on you, being told repeatedly you're not good enough, being degraded repeatedly, not being recognized for your talents, comparing yourself to others, viewing yourself through society's standards, etc. If we're told something enough times, we tend to believe it. If we start telling ourselves things like we don't matter or are worthless or have no purpose, that just makes the situation worse.
To me, mental and emotional scars are the most damaging, since their effects stay with us longer, and it's harder to deal with them since we can't always see what they've done to us.
If you struggle with this and you're reading this right now, know this: you're far better than that. True, I may not know you if you're reading this, but I know that every human life has value regardless of what others say and do. I know that everyone has a certain talent or ability, even if it takes them a while to discover it. I know that degradation from others and especially yourself makes all this hard to believe, but there are ways you can overcome this.
Look in the mirror right now or the next time you're able. What do you see? Do you like what you see? If not, why not? If you think something's wrong, why? Is it a legitimate medical concern? Or has society conditioned you or told you that you should look a certain way?
Self-awareness if the first step to recovery. If you know who you really are, it'll be hard to believe something you're not, regardless of what people tell you.
Positive self-talk also works wonders even if you don't believe it at first. Like I said earlier, if we're told something enough times, we tend to believe it. So speak positivity into your life. Remind yourself of your accomplishments. Look at how far you've come in your life. If you're not where you want to be in life right now, that's OK; you're not alone. Do something nice for yourself today, even if it's something small, like eating your favorite snack or taking a walk. Tell yourself you're worth it, because you're worth it. You're here. You're alive. Life's too short to constantly be beating yourself up or believing things that bring you down.
Don't just exist; live, and live knowing that you're awesome. You matter. You belong here. You're beautiful. You're precious. You're special. You're important. You're better than you think you are.
