How do I stop feeling like I'm not enough?

Feeling like you're not enough is one of the most pervasive and painful experiences in modern life, often stemming from perfectionist tendencies and a culture that constantly tells us we need to be more, do more, and have more to be worthy. This feeling typically develops when your sense of finding identity/building-self-worth" class="internal-link">self-esteem becomes tied to external achievements, others' approval, or impossible standards that can never be fully met. You might feel not smart enough, not successful enough, not attractive enough, not social enough, or simply not enough in some fundamental way that seems to define your entire worth as a person. This belief often originates in childhood experiences where love or approval felt conditional on performance, where you were compared unfavorably to others, or where you received messages that you needed to be different to be acceptable. Psychological psychological trauma can also create feelings of not being enough by damaging your sense of inherent worth and making you feel fundamentally flawed or broken. Social media intensifies these feelings by providing constant opportunities to compare yourself to others' curated presentations of their lives. The not enough feeling is particularly insidious because it's never satisfied by external achievements - you might accomplish something significant only to immediately focus on the next thing you lack or the next level you haven't reached. This creates an exhausting hamster wheel where you're constantly chasing worthiness through accomplishment but never actually feeling worthy. The truth is that you are enough exactly as you are right now, not because of what you've achieved or what others think of you, but because you exist. Your worth is inherent and doesn't need to be earned or proven. Breaking free from not enough feelings requires developing self-compassion, challenging perfectionist thoughts, and learning to validate yourself internally rather than seeking constant external proof of your worth. Practice treating yourself with the same kindness you would show a good friend, and remember that your value as a person is not determined by your productivity, achievements, or others' opinions.