N.H. - Perception
One of my biggest struggles was learning how to change the negative perception I had of myself. After going through many difficult situations, I thought very little of myself. I believed I deserved all the bad things that happened to me. I perceived myself to be a nuisance to my family and the people around me. I believed everything would be better if I wasn’t around. I hated everything about myself and often told myself I didn’t deserve happiness. Being around abusive people did not help. I started to believe them when they told me I was useless and I would never amount to anything. It was this negativity that brought me to the darkest point of my life.
It wasn’t until I started to surround myself with positive people that I started to change what I thought about myself. People started to acknowledge qualities that I didn’t see in myself. My newly found friends helped build me up and constantly complimented me. They showed me that I was worthy. With their help, I started to hate myself less and realized that I had a purpose. It took me a long time but it finally hit me: my negative perception of myself and the world was not and did not have to be my reality. Just because people think of me a certain way, it doesn’t mean that it’s true. And just because I see myself a certain way, it doesn’t mean it’s a reality.
So, what’s my perception of myself now? I am a worthy person. I am a smart woman who deserves the good things life has to offer. I value myself a lot more and I hold myself with high expectations. I stopped caring about what people thought of me and I started being someone I am proud of. I see myself as someone who is true to herself and although I am not a hundred percent, I know I am a lot closer than I was. I’ve come to learn that people will always see me how they want to see me—whether it be positive or negative—and I shouldn’t give their judgments power. I now see that there will always be negative people trying to bring me down but I have the power to ignore and keep doing me. And that’s my hope for you: I hope you are strong and loving enough to accept yourself for who you are regardless of what people think of you.
1/3 - Perception
