Am I really ever going to be good enough for me?

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I am what other people would call a successful individual. I have just graduated from a difficult graduate program into a well-paying, respected profession, but I have never really felt proud of myself or my accomplishments. Since I was in grade school, I have always felt like I was not good enough, that I was lacking in some way. I have struggled with self-esteem issues and depression through adolescence and into my adult life. I had my first suicidal thought when I was 9. I have never acted on these thoughts because of a fear of death, but I don’t understand why I really deserve to live. I don’t feel like I’ve done anything worthwhile in my life and feel like I am just a waste, a drain on resources. I am told by almost everyone I know that I’m a good person. I have yet to believe any of them.

Category: asked August 2, 2013

2 Answers

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accepted
No, baby. If you let yourself keep thinking like this, you'll never feel good enough. I had a major anxiety attack once upon a time because I was trying to find a way to be good enough. My caseworker asked what 'good' was- if I was always trying to be perfect, what was perfect? I said that I didn't know, but I would know my standards when I failed to meet them. Is that what you keep running into? You don't know your expectations for yourself until you fall short of them? Listen, sweetheart, there is no such thing as 'good enough.' As long as you allow yourself to believe there is a good enough, you'll never get there. But you are good. You are smart, and kind, and you're brave to talk about this. So write down things about you that you like. Don't think about it, just do it. It's not cocky or rude to like yourself. And keep writing them down, and read over it again and again, every time you hear yourself thinking about not being good enough.
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The situation you describe is almost exactly what I have been dealing with. I don't know what standard I'm trying to reach but I can never reach it. Thank you so much for your help! It feels good to know that there are other people that have had similar problems and that I'm not alone in this.