unmasking insecurities

Have you ever had those late-night insecurities thoughts that just won't quit? Like,

"Am I good enough?”

“What if people see the real me and don't like it?”

“What if I just don’t have what it takes?” Or,

“I don't deserve this.”

I know at some point, we’ve all asked this burning question that hits close to home – “How to deal with insecurities?” In this blog, I want to invite you to join me as we unmask insecurities and discuss some effective strategies to overcome our insecurities.

Judgement

All those “what if’s” are judgement based. It’s assuming the worst of you, worst of others, and worst of the situation. There’s a simple yet effective way to change the narrative. Simply flip the script of your “what if” statement. For example,

“What if people see the real me and don't like it?” change it to, “What if people see the real me and love it more?”

“What if I just don’t have what it takes?” change it to, “What if I do have what it takes?” Imagine what you would’ve missed if you do have what it takes but you didn’t do it!

And feel the power of this new statement when you change “What if I don't deserve this?” to “What if I DO deserve this?”

Fear

Deep down, all these insecurities thoughts are fear-based. All those negative “what ifs” can be summed up as “what if I fail?”

I just finished reading a book called “Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway”, by Susan Jeffers. If you don’t have the time to read the book, let me just say the key message of the entire book is this, when you feel the fear, tell yourself, “I can handle this”.

It may sound simple, but it gives you profound power when facing your fear. Let me share with you my own story. I have a Golden Retriever who is 10 years old. He was recently rushed to ER because his back legs collapsed. Upon examination, more health issues were discovered, and some are still unknown. Needless to say, I was terrified. When my fear kicked in, I started picturing in my head all the scary scenes – Boomer becoming disabled, medical bills of thousands of dollars coming in, that moment when we finally have to say good-bye… then I put a big “STOP” to all these thoughts, and told myself, “I can handle this.”

When I said that to myself, first of all, it stopped all my negative thoughts, then it helped me to stay focused on the present moment, when I still have my sweet, loving Boomer with me, and most importantly, it gave me strength to face the current reality and not my imagined reality.

Self-acceptance

When we feel insecure, we tend to seek approval or reassurance from others. This is dangerous when it becomes how we define our self-worth. Again, let’s use the flipping strategy. Instead of seeking approval, let’s learn to accept ourselves. This means appreciating who we truly are, flaws and all. One of the hardest lesson I’ve learned as a perfectionist is learning to be perfectly imperfect.

Now, in addition to everything we just discussed, I’d also add that one thing we can build the habit of doing is to practice positive self-talk, or affirmations. And here is one of my favorites – Try make a list of your best qualities and read each one out loud when you are feeling insecure. Be grateful for and celebrate each and every one of these amazing qualities.

Remember, you're not alone, and those insecurities don't get to dictate your story. If you've got your own unmasking tips or stories, spill the tea in the comments. Until next time, embrace your quirks, celebrate your journey, and let's conquer those late-night insecurities together.

#innerdragonwisdom #insecurities #authenticity #selfawareness #selfgrowth #transformation #healing #selfdevelopment #judgment #fear #selfacceptance #selflove