For more than half of my life, I have been struggling to accept myself. I hated the way I looked, being a quiet person, having low self-esteem, etc. I wanted to become like the people who were good-looking, sociable, and self-confident, but no matter how much I tried, I could not be like them.
When I was in a group, I struggled to think of things to say. And when I had something to say, I remained quiet because I worried about being judged by others.
As time went by, I learned to be myself in a group. Being yourself means knowing exactly who you are and having the courage to accept yourself. Understand that you have certain characteristics or personalities that may be different from others, and no matter what you do, you can never be like them.
Even though being yourself is different from everyone else, I would like to share with you the strategies that I’ve taken in being myself. Hopefully, it will be of some help to you.
Get to Know yourself
Our opinion of ourselves affects how we think, behave, and act in our various roles throughout life. So, to be yourself you must first get to know who you are.
Minimize negative self-talk
Negative self-talk can diminish your self-confidence and that in turn prevents you from being yourself.
Stop comparing yourself to someone else
It’s natural to compare yourself to others when you try to discover who you are, but too much comparison leads to unhappiness and low self-esteem and prevents you from realizing your genuine self.
Stop caring what people think of you
The need to fit in is a basic instinct. We all want to be accepted, to belong. That’s why we care what other people think of us, but the pressure to fit in and be liked makes you into a social chameleon. To be yourself, you must let go of what other people think of you, and just let your behavior flow.
Stop being a people-pleaser
If you always try to please others, you are often seen as agreeable, helpful, and kind, but this can lead to fear of rejection disappointing others, and having low self-esteem. To be yourself, you must be true to how you think and feel by stopping being a people-pleaser.
Appreciate who you are
Take some time to find out what your strengths are instead of only focusing on your weaknesses. We all have different talents and qualities; we are unique and special in our own way. So, embrace yourself for who you are and be yourself!
Final Thoughts
It’s hard to accept yourself if you’ve certain characteristics or personalities that you don’t like. But remember your combination of personality traits, life experiences, passions, talents, and abilities make you unique and special. This is something to be proud of.
Good article. Easy reading and straight to the point.
There is nothing wrong for being an introvert. My mentor who was the president of a large institution. He was an introvert but when he could raise to the occasion when ever needed to make a public speech.
On the contrary, an extrovert may be labelled as a chatterbox. ?
Thank you!
Ha ha true true. All the good points. You can never be that person.
Even having our fingers and toes in one same body and your food n drinks are
the same and sharing the same organs, they are all grow in different length and sizes. That makes everyone of us unique in our way way. We just have to recognize that eh.