How to Rebuild Your Sense of Self

Growing up is hard, the truth is we are always growing and evolving no matter how young or old we may be. This can also lead to many problems and self-image issues, It's easy to get lost and have no idea who you are. But like any other process, finding yourself takes time and energy and it’s different for each person. As an individual, you should trust the process and not let it scare you, enjoy the changes, and wherever they may lead you. You can also try to help yourself during these times by learning tips and tricks on how to rebuild your sense of self easier.

Sometimes it’s so hard to define what is self-worth. The quickest way is to da that self worth, to many people, comes from being accomplished, or just feeling that they've reached a pivotal point. This is true to some extent, for some people the issue itself is born because of other people and the toxic environment they are in. If the downfall of your self-worth is happening because of a specific toxic person like a significant other, family member or people at school - remember that you are not the only one, lots of people get hurt by this every day, and most have no idea how to deal with low self esteem.

The first step in your recovery should be finding out what caused the absence of self worth in your life and if it’s directly connected to your childhood or something recent that happened. The root of the problem is often hiding the resolution as well! Since self worthiness is difficult to gain back, but extremely easy to lose, you need to accept the problem and further work on it. Sometimes the cause is deep inside and you need a bit of digging to unveil the root, but in other cases the problem is right in front of you. The process can vary from person to person, but healing is inevitable! Once you know where to start, there is nothing stopping you from reaching your full potential and finally rebuilding yourself the right way!

It’s hard enough that you need to find out who you are, especially in environments where not a lot of people feel the same way as you. It can be isolating, but it doesn’t have to be. By doing all the things you've done in the past, anything that sparked a joyful memory in your childhood, or just doing regular activities that once brought you happiness - you’ll be one step closer to figuring out yourself better. It’s hard to feel joyful, but doing small things for yourself can certainly help make you feel better. There is nothing wrong with taking the time to yourself during this difficult period, just don’t be too hard on yourself and expect to feel better overnight, rebuilding yourself is a process, so try to make yourself feel as comfortable as you can!

When we go through something traumatic and painful, we often completely shut down, avoiding friends, family and even ourselves. It’s hard to pick up where you left off and have the same amount of self-esteem, but it’s important to stand up whenever you fall. And it all starts with connecting with yourself again, and at the end of the day forgiving yourself for whatever reason. Sometimes we are the ones who do the damage, and sometimes that damage is inflicted by others - regardless, as you’ll either way have to come to terms with it. By doing so, you are letting the past go, and you are also acknowledging the problems by looking deeper within yourself. 

In order to know where you are heading, it’s important to know your current state. It’s one thing to know what’s causing the low self esteem or what’s making you feel bad, but at the same time you need to be aware of all the positives. Things can never be completely good or bad, there is always something positive. So you must find it within yourself, all your positive aspects, things you love about yourself, no matter how big or how small - and put them on a list. This way you can look at it every day and never forget that you do in fact are worthy of all things good. It’s hard to see the good things, especially after you’ve suffered something that caused you to feel down - make sure you remember at least one good thing and focus on it.

At the end of the day, mental health is extremely important and if you are feeling inexplicably unwell, it’s best to go to a professional and get to the bottom of things. Bottling up your feelings until they become too bad they interfere with your day-to-day life, your best bet would be going to a trusted professional and talking about your issues with them for a more permanent and heavier case!