Reclaim Your Self-Worth

We all have inherent self-worth but many of us lose sight of it especially at a time when social media display seemingly idyllic lifestyles and perfect-looking people.

Photo by Alex Shute on Unsplash

“Everybody has a secret world inside of them. I mean everybody. All of the people in the whole world, I mean everybody — no matter how dull and boring they are on the outside. Inside them they’ve all got unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds.”

— Neil Gaiman, The Sandman

Once in a while, we read or hear words like these that prompt us to remember how unique and wonderful we are. They boost our sense of self-worth which we realize was pretty low.

For centuries, people were reminded every week in their places of worship that they were all children of God, all worthy of His love and forgiveness, whether they were peasants or aristocrats, poor or rich, beautiful or not, alone or not. They didn’t have to work for it. Everyone was worthy and accepted as long as they followed the moral code, and if they hadn’t, then there were ways to wipe the slate clean and be restored. But now that religion has lost a lot of ground, we don’t get reminded of our inherent self-worth.

Consequently, our need for self-worth has become linked to external sources such as our achievements or status, and unfortunately our numbers of social media likes. The problem is that external sources are not permanent and our self-worth will fluctuate along with our success. The next level of achievement does not guarantee a sense of self-worth.

We must go back to the belief that we are worthy just because we are.

Photo by Christopher Campbell on Unsplash

Ways to reclaim your self-worth

1. Make caring for yourself a priority. Go to bed at a time that will ensure you get all the sleep you need. Eat balanced meals and buy yourself special treats. Find a form of exercise that suits your abilities and preferences.
2. Make time for the things you love. Spend time alone or with loved ones. Go to your favourite places. Allow some time for your hobby. Create a morning and evening routine to ensure you…