For anyone thinking they are not good enough, I hope one day you see that you have always been good enough.
We are the ones that wake up and go to sleep with ourselves every day. Your thoughts are more powerful than you think. The negative thoughts you feel and believe about yourself can damage you. I have struggled in battling those voices that tell me I am not good enough. I used to allow horrible thoughts control my mood and actions, which lead to me losing the person I truly am. I would try to find validation in ways that did not make me feel better but actually reinforced those thoughts. Many times we think we need to act a certain way to feel better. These actions may be things like trying to be perfect at everything or changing who you are to reach someone else’s standards.
What are these negative thoughts?
They are the running dialogue in our heads when we are feeling sad. These thoughts come from our self-concept, body image, past emotional trauma, upbringing and developmental events. The negatives thoughts may be words like “I am not smart enough,” “I am not thin enough,” or “Why do I have to work harder than other people.” When we start to believe those thoughts it drives sadness, anxiety, depression and failure. Our perception of our self turns negative and self-destructive.
How do we fight against these negative thoughts?
It is not easy to fight against thoughts you have believed for years but, when you start telling yourself you are good enough slowly your thoughts change. In my personal experience, I would have to say to myself I am good enough even when deep down I did not believe it. I would write it down on paper or say it to myself in the mirror. I would have to correct my thoughts and put a red line through the words that did not belong in my head.
I recently read a book called, “The End of Mental Illness,” written by Dr. Daniel Anem, who is a well-known psychiatrist. In his book, he mentioned ways to train your mind to combat these negative thoughts. One way to combat the negative thoughts is to write down what you are thinking whenever you are sad, mad, nervous or out of control. After you write it down, you should ask yourself if your thought is factually true or whether you are jumping into an conclusion. A lot of the times, when we are in a low mood we allow our brain to hold onto the negative. When you are feeling sad you allow yourself to believe horrible things about yourself that are NOT factually TRUE. When you write down your thoughts check them to see if they are correct.
I have struggled greatly to combat these negative thoughts. "I am not good enough," is the thought I had to fight the hardest against. Eventually, over time I was able to start believing the real truth. I am good enough. When I started to believe I was good enough my view on the world changed. I saw what I actually deserve. I started to respect myself and not allow others to disrespect me. I began to love myself. I was finally able to look at myself in the mirror and say I am good enough. I am worth so much more than all these horrible things I used to believe about myself and so are you.
I am good enough just as I am, even with my imperfection. Yes, imperfections because no one is perfect but, everyone is GOOD ENOUGH.
Write down your thoughts and check them because not everything you think is true!
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