The sensations we experience when we are feeling inadequate aren’t exactly pleasant ones. Some that come to mind include inferiority, hopelessness, helplessness, isolation, and sadness, and that’s only naming a few.
Feeling as though we are inadequate, or, in simpler terms, not good enough, is truly a debilitating sentiment. It is frustrating because while we acknowledge that we are feeling this way, we often times are unable to acknowledge how to overcome this feeling, only making the emotion of inadequacy all the more prominent.
I’ve dealt with feeling as though I am not good enough in different contexts for most of my life. I suppose it links to a lack of self-confidence or self-worth, but for me, personally, I am very much a perfectionist, and I think my perfectionist tendencies aren’t the best influence when I’m feeling low.
Something I have learned over the years to help combat feeling inadequate is to eliminate the process of comparison. Comparing, or measuring ourselves up to others, is such a toxic behaviour, and further, it is a completely useless one; how is it logical to compare ourselves to someone who is in an entirely different situation than our own? Why should we associate our worth with how we relate, or don’t relate, to people living totally different lives, doing different jobs, living in different family dynamics than our own?
I don’t have a guaranteed technique to completely abolish any feelings of inadequacy in life, but refraining from comparing ourselves to others is a good start. I also find that reminding myself of my blessings and skills in life gives me a boost, and also mindfulness and simply seeing what is right in front of me that I may have overlooked.
We all experience inadequacy at some point or another. It isn’t permanent, and it isn’t exclusive; it’s part of life, and with a bit of mindfulness, we can kick it to the curb.
ontheedgeofeverything 