Weekly Prompt #36: How has anxiety affected your overall sense of self-worth or confidence?
Hello all and welcome back to another discussion,
Last week, we discussed: What type of anxiety do you struggle with? Thank you to all who participated and shared your thoughts with us. I appreciate you all. I hope all who may read it find it relatable too. If anyone hasn't shared yet, please share them here and I look forward to reading and discussing them with you.
Anxiety has a way of creeping into every front of our lives, whispering doubts and insecurities at the most inconvenient times. It can chip away at our confidence, leaving us feeling not enough and stressed in the face of challenges. The constant worry and fear that anxiety brings can create a barrier between who we are and who we want to be..
This week's prompt: How has anxiety affected your overall sense of self-worth or confidence?
So, let's discuss the profound impact of anxiety on our sense of self-worth and confidence and share our emotions, experiences and what probably helped us. I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences!
@ASilentObserver Me personally, I often feel anxiety *after* whatever it is has happened. Anxious about how I came across, what others think about me, analyzing my actions to see if they were the "best" ones possible. I've worked on it a quite a bit recently though, so it's been nice now to just reflect without all the negativity.
Hi all, I am new to 7 Cups and have recently started taking up chats.
@ASilentObserver: I feel that I have a lot on my plate now. I am constantly thinking of how to diversify my income stream. My partner has hardly supported my financial needs in the 13 years of our marriage and while I was busy raising our daughter. He had initially asked me to focus only on our daughter, but in the interim (while I totally enjoyed every time with my daughter) I lost out on opportunities only if I knew he wouldn't be there to support the bare minimum. Today I feel lost and stranded. I am a content writer but you know how the industry is saturated. Even if there are projects, the pay is no good. Today I have dried up. I am frantically searching for platforms where I can get paid opportunities to write on subjects of my interest, viz, emotional well-being, personal growth, parenting, education, travel, etc. It's over a month now, and I am still struggling. I worry for my daughter and myself. I have stopped believing in my husband, and he is of little use to me. Please advise.
@royalPiano4520 Thank you for the support piano and being here with us. It feels like you are feeling overwhelmed by the pressure of balancing so many responsibilities and uncertainties. It is challenging to carry such a heavy load alone. How do these anxieties impact your sense of self-worth or confidence?
@ASilentObserver It has taken a beating for sure!
@ASilentObserver
I see anxiety as a companion that shows up every time I don't need them. When I face a challenge, when I have to resolve something that is important or impactful, there they are. Unlike a regular companion that is there to cheer me on, anxiety is there to undermine me, to eat at my ability to think rationally, to work through a problem. And every time anxiety succeeds, it takes a bit of my confidence and self-esteem as its trophy. At this point, I have nothing left.
Just a few minutes ago from when this ramble is posted, I got yelled at for trying to think for myself. Instead of being assertive and defend my decision, I apologized repeatedly and I can't stop crying right now. I have nothing left in me.
@GreekCatPerson Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. It feels like you are experiencing low self-esteem due to repeated exposure to anxiety during challenging situations. Feeling unable to be confident and rational due to anxiety's presence can significantly impact our sense of self-worth. Can you please share more about what happened just now that triggered this reaction?
@ASilentObserver I used to be so confident in myself and I wouldn’t really care what others think but now it feels like my whole life revolves around others and I keep up with it.
@ASilentObserver
I don't know if my anxiety causes my lack of confidence or my lack of confidence causes my anxiety. Either way I have no confidence.
@Gettingbettertoday I understand it feels uncertain about which one is causing the other when they often go hand-in-hand. Low confidence can indeed contribute to increased anxiety, as well as high anxiety leading to decreased confidence. What aspects of yourself do you struggle with feeling confident in?
@ASilentObserver My anxiety is making me question my self worth now. I have to move away to a new city for my first ever job. I’m 24, and I have never been away from my family and friends, and now I feel that I am fully dependent on them and won’t be able to survive anyplace without them. Everyday I am crippled by this thought, everyday it gets so exhausting. I find it so hard to motivate myself to complete necessary documentations for the job. I can’t seem to enjoy music, books, youtube videos because my mind is constantly there. I have become dependent on the listeners here at 7 Cups too. Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I immediately jump to the app to talk to someone. I wish I could stop feeling like this thing will consume me and eat me alive.
@AMusicalTone It seems like moving away from home for work has brought up big questions about whether you'll be able to take care of yourself. I get that change can stir up difficult feelings! What thoughts come up when you think about living alone for the first time?
@ASilentObserver it starts small, for eg. how will I share a room with someone, what would be the bathroom situation like, how will I do the laundry, and then it starts going up to what if I have a panic attack there, what if I start feeling lonely, what if I get sick and there is no one to take care of me, what if something happens at home and I am not there with my family, stuff like this starts bubbling up and starts feeding my anxiety.
@ASilentObserver I think anxiety has affected, perhaps, my sense of reality, in general. Like, it is difficult to explain. Aside, even, from the warped-reality feeling I get from anxiety/panic attacks, even just grounding myself I wonder... gosh, what IS normal? What IS "correct"? What IS OK? It can get more complicated that just saying that sounds but, boy, it gets complicated, indeed. It just feels, sometimes, like... is there ANYTHING I can "count" on? Is anything truly solid? Because overcoming my anxiety ultimately depends on me just... believing everything is OK. Even when I don't feel everything is OK. It is the only thing that has ever done anything for me. My own sheer will. It is all that I have ever had. But it makes me wonder about belief. Myself. And what it means to just decide these things. There is more. Maybe not as related to this that is also difficult and maybe related but I haven't made a connection yet or something but... yeah. Just. What the heck is "right," you know? What is true, what is real? How am I navigating my life? Oh! And just the constant monitoring of my thoughts, then! Oh, boy. I am... probably better than I was not too long about around my panic attacks and so forth but... I am still seeking stability.
@PaperSkyeCrafts It is understandable that anxiety can lead to uncertainty and confusion about what's real and what's not. Feeling like nothing is solid can be disorienting. Wanting to find stability is important. Would you share more about how you've relied solely on your willpower to cope with anxiety in the past?
@ASilentObserver
i have a really hard time talking to people that aren’t my friends and it’s like social anxiety. i get really fidgety and ill feel like i can’t open my mouth and talk. so talking to people even if it’s someone working at a store or a waitress i feel like i can’t speak. and after that my dad talks bad about how i should’ve just said something which dwindles my confidence.
@sunnyTalker6138 It feels like social anxiety has made interactions outside of your friend group difficult for you, leaving you feeling nervous and worried about saying the wrong thing. When others criticize us, especially our parents, it can further lower our self-esteem. Would you share more about what happens when your dad speaks negatively after these incidents?
@ASilentObserver he just yells at me and kind of taunts me. he says like “why didn’t you say anything” or “are you scared” and it results in me being feeling guilt tripped a bit.
My anxiety increased over the last 4 years due to loss of my husband and mother. I try so hard to keep going but some days I just want to give up, though I wouldn’t because of my adult kids. I’ve lost 20lbs and eat because I have to not because I enjoy it. I wake from 4am and my stomach is in knots. It’s affected my confidence, I rarely socialize these days, my circle is small. Some days I feel normal again and think I am getting better to just be anxious again the following day. I came off AD in January which probably didn’t help, I take mag, b complex, d3 & k2 daily. I am fighting this everyday, it dosent help that my adult son has epilepsy and cannot live alone, he has grand mal seizures at least once every 3 wks which is traumatic for both of us. I used to be confident & bubbly now I just survive.
@amusingScarf2431 I am sorry to hear about the significant changes you've experienced in your life over the past four years, including losing loved ones and struggling with anxiety. Losing weight without enjoying food can also impact your mood. What thoughts go through your mind when you are feeling anxious?
I get overwhelmed with everything. I think I’m done and want to give up even though I wouldn’t, I can’t think logically and panic about my future but then when I’m ok I realise it was just the anxiety.
