Dear Hannah,

I am glad that you decided to open up to the TinyBuddha community by sharing your deepest insecurities.

It is really admirable that you have decided to do so.

You know yourself best. That is what you think, but sometimes, our inner critics are overly selfish and unreasonable. To others, we might seem like we have it all; to others, they feel that we are good enough. Yet to ourselves, we never feel that we are good enough.

You are not alone. I myself struggle with this feeling of “not being good enough”, and it is not a positive feeling at all. In fact, it makes me so upset and gets me really down sometimes. Therefore, I would like to stress the importance of self-love and giving ourselves love, respect and affirmations from time to time.

Or rather, if you could give yourself love and respect you give to your friends – and you do that continually, I can assure you that you’ll reap positive and unmeasurable benefits.

Hannah, I think that you are a wonderful person, and you deserve all the love you can get. You might not think that way currently, and that’s perfectly alright – baby steps, yeah? First of all, you got to identify what is faulty in your train of thought – is it overly pessimistic? Are you looking down on the strengths that you actually have?

Stop judging yourself. You’re a human just like everyone else. I understand that binging on unhealthy food seems like a temporary fix – the sugar does give you an adrenaline rush after all. However, understand that the happiness you get is only short-lived, and the most long-lasting form of happiness I’ve seen is from loving yourself.

Regardless of all your flaws, accept yourself. Shower yourself with optimism, and see your world change to a different light!

The guy who left you is not a right piece for you. Why do I say this? It is because a guy who is right for you will be there to cherish you, be there for you, and love you. That guy is a jerk. Do your best to eradicate him out of your life! Focus on loving and improving yourself slightly each day. Don’t aim for too drastic of a change – you can’t change your entire mindset in an entire day, but you can take active steps to walk towards that goal.

Don’t lose sight of that goal, and your life will become more fulfilling! Trust me on that.

When you have the courage, face your fears directly. Confront them, and debunk them. Attack them. Find new perspectives on the matter. I believe in you!

Sincerely,

Jun Na