What makes our generation more insecure than the others? What screams “insecurity”? Read further to know more…
Our generation, the Gen-Z, turns out to be the most narcissistic generation. We are so engrossed with our identities on social media and in real life that we fail to realise the juncture where our self-obsession reshapes into insecurity. We may portray heightened versions of ourselves on reel, but in reality we may not walk around feeling all that much satisfied. With so much around to juxtapose our own traits with, our inner-critics compare, evaluate and judge our own selves with great scrutiny.
One of the most essential causes of insecurity happens to be rejection and failure. Just how Shane tells us his “heart can’t take rejection, because he’s insecure, baby,” prior experiences of exclusion or criticism may have a severe impact on one’s self esteem. Incidences like the ending of a relationship, poor performance in academics or negative health events attribute equally to an already lowered confidence.
However, what surpasses this rejection by society is rejection of our own self. This is prominent in the case of perfectionism. We create an image of an ideal self in our minds. This image is often unrealistic and irrational, and its digression from the real self often causes anxiety and triggers our insecurity. “The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel,” said Steve Furtick, enlightening us all of a harsh reality we fail to see.
Insecurity can be observed in the not-so-subtle remarks made by individuals on a daily basis. For instance, complimenting oneself in between conversations screams insecurity from across the land. After a point, it’s as if the person is trying to convince him/herself of their own traits. In contrast to this, even downgrading oneself is a classic show of insecurity. In such cases, one either fishes for compliments or is a perfectionist, expecting too much out of him/herself.
An insecure person may find it difficult to maintain eye contact or even talk about them for long due to the previously mentioned fear of rejection. The persisting self doubt in the person surfaces, making them want to wrap up conversations about self as soon as possible. Again, in the celebrated words of Shane, “losing grasp of the time, trying not to say what I want,” – an apparent illustration of insecurity.
Now that we’ve been over the causes and symptoms of insecurity, let us ponder over certain measures to tackle this. First off, you need to identify what you’re really insecure about and why you’re insecure to begin with. The deeper you dig, the closer you’ll find yourself to the roots of your problems. Once identified, you need to challenge your insecurities by adopting a more rational and objective perspective towards them. This will allow you to question the validity of your experiences and open up doors to new possibilities.
Moreover, you need to acknowledge and reward your successes and accomplishments in order to remind yourself of your abilities to work things out even in difficult situations. At the same time, allow yourself to learn and benefit from your mistakes. Don’t let them bring your morale down. Most importantly, learn to reject the opinions of others about yourself. “We are defined by what we choose to reject. And if we reject nothing we essentially have no identity at all,” quoted Mark Manson in his highly acclaimed novel, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck.
Nobody is perfect. Everybody makes mistakes and everybody has those days. We’ve all learned this from our, dear old Hannah Montana, and it is high time we advocate this too. It is essential for us to accept ourselves the way we are. We need to embrace our flaws and welcome them as a part of our personalities, because that is what distinguishes us from the rest. Be grateful for who you are and cut yourself some slack. Remember Bob Marley when he tells you, “Get up, stand up: don’t give up the fight!”
Featued Image Credits: Elegant Themes
Aditi Gutgutia