Before you begin reading this article, ask yourself, “Have I ever felt worthless?”

If your answer is in the affirmative, then let me tell you, it’s going to be alright. Life is full of obstacles that may make us feel absolutely terrible about ourselves, thus leading to self-hatred. You can say that it’s just a part of life. Determining your self-worth does not depend upon the situation you face, but how well you manage to handle it. Your self-importance depends on your outlook regarding life.

Content individuals do not depend on worldly possessions, and yet radiate with positivity and happiness, gratefully focusing on what they are blessed with. In contrast, an ingrate may own the world and yet spread misery around his surroundings as he would only be obsessed with acquiring what he doesn’t still own.

Depression and anxiety are such medical conditions that are increasingly being found in young people, primarily as a result of low self-esteem. Intense bullying regarding the person’s appearance or background, etc. can lead to the development of insecurities in tender minds, especially at schools. This in turn might cause major illnesses and disorders, such as binge eating, anorexia or bulimia, which at times could be fatal or traumatic and can negatively affect the mental growth of the individual.

Ignoring a person’s harsh comments is not always possible and they are often quite hurtful, but remember this, a bully always bullies because he has been bullied in the past. Next time if someone harasses you, try and remember this, as being empathetic towards that person and keeping a positive attitude towards them might even convince them to stop.

If someone has wronged you in the past, do not dwell upon it. Learn to move on. Forgiving that specific somebody might not be possible but no matter what, do not feel disheartened because of their faults as no relationship is ever worth sacrificing your own self-worth and respect.

Keep reminding yourself that everything will be okay and you are good enough. People may keep taunting you your whole life because there is no pleasing everyone, but it is up to you whether you want to make their words your mindset. At the same time, it’s absolutely your decision whether you want to discard whatever they’re saying and continue living your life to the fullest. It’s their loss if they couldn’t appreciate you when they had the chance. Don’t let anyone get the best of you to a point that you start questioning how you should have handled the situation.

If knowing your self-worth and learning to love yourself proves to be rather difficult, then remember this quote, “God created individuality for everyone to have their own uniqueness, if he wanted, he could have made us all the same, yet he did not.”

And the next time someone puts you down, just shrug it off thinking that you won because you didn’t let them affect you.

Published in Dawn, Young World, May 2nd, 2020