Moving Beyond Low Self-Esteem

We’ve all stumbled through periods of feeling “not good enough”. They can vary in appearance from emotional anxiety to self-sabotage to the experience of a “dark night of the soul.” Not feeling worthy or low self-esteem is actually a prevalent condition in our human existence. Not long ago I was a very different person. I did not feel worthy of any blessings or desires. While things appeared to working out okay on the outside, on the inside I doubted my capacity for experiencing the kind of life I wanted, free from struggle and living my heart’s desires. I recognized my low self-esteem in bouts of sadness and anxiety but it seemed that the more I became aware of it the more it haunted me. I got caught in a cycle of self-berating (Why couldn’t I just stop this?) which caused me to feel badly about myself, and then believing I was doomed to suffer through it; a very dark period. Low self-esteem became a major block disrupting the natural flow of positive energy into my life. It felt like I was in a deep hole with no exit. In the midst of the ups and downs I was experiencing I felt a tug from my inner self, “I’m kind of tired of this, I just want to be happy.” That was the pivotal idea that led me out of my pain onto a quest of inner transformation. More than anything; I mean anything else I wanted to be happy.

Responding to low self-esteem

There are lots of remedies out there for addressing self-worth issues. A healthy response might be one of self-compassion and self-soothing, telling ourselves internally that we’re human, that life ebbs and flows, or reassuring ourselves that some things are out of our control and this too shall pass. You can remind yourself all day long that you are a divine being but if you don’t feel the peace of your authentic connection with your inner self that makes you feel worthy of all the riches and goodness of the universe you are just spinning your wheels. The truth is that those who know they are worthy and deserving of all good things are tuned-in to the pure positive flow of their essence – the universal energy that offers peace, contentment and harmony. They have a perception about who they are that doesn’t include lack of self-worth. They accept themselves and love themselves without criticism or complaint, without ascribing a set of conditions that makes them feel worthy. They know they are worthy because they perceive life from a consciousness of heartfelt love and appreciation for themselves; and that’s the key to self-worth – it comes from the beliefs, about who we think we are, within each individual.

What are some of the features of the inner life of people
who feel worthy?

As I came to the realization that there was nothing I wanted more than to be happy I set about to do somethings differently – to focus on feeling happy on the inside, first. It was in reflection as I sat with a sincere desire to release everything that was holding me back from knowing the true natural flow of joy that I saw how pain represented my fear that I might just find out happiness doesn’t exist. My pain was not only a block but a protection against more hurt. Well, enough of the rabbit hole! There is nothing I wanted more than peace and if I was doing this to myself, I could take responsibility for shifting it.

Here are some of the perceptions of those who feel worthy and deserving of goodness, abundance, happiness and blessings:

• I am innately worthy and my self-esteem comes from myself. I am a divine being having a human experience.
• I am responsible for my creating my life and my experiences. There is no one to blame. Even if horrible things happened in the past, I have the ability and responsibility to know my value in the present moment.
• I accept and appreciate myself without judgement or criticism. It doesn’t matter what I look like, what my achievements are or where I live. I do not live by the opinions of others but by the wisdom of my authentic self.
• I allow the flow of love, peace and harmony to me and through me. I seek to balance my emotions, beliefs, and behavior, with the highest, most positive energy I am, and I intentionally radiate this energy into everything I desire.

When we align our desires with inner feelings and perceptions of worthiness, the richest blessings of the universe are ours without effort, struggle or uninspired action. Our awareness expands to transcend the limitations and reasons why we “couldn’t” have the joyful lives we want. We have surrendered the expectations of the past to embrace our inner light, our ability to experience all we desire in concert with our higher self. Appreciate that your periods of low self-esteem have offered you the gift of knowing true freedom and happiness.

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