How do I deal with feeling like I'm not good enough?

The persistent feeling of not being good enough is one of the most painful and common struggles people face. This feeling often develops from early experiences where love or approval felt conditional on performance, leading you to internalize the belief that your worth depends on external achievements or others' opinions. finding identity/perfectionism-how-to-let-go" class="internal-link">fearful feelings of mistakes plays a major role - when your standards are impossibly high, you'll always fall short and feel inadequate. Social comparison, especially through social media, intensifies these feelings by constantly exposing you to others' highlight reels while you're intimately aware of your own struggles and failures. The inner critic that tells you you're not good enough is often much harsher than you would ever be to a friend facing the same challenges. Start challenging these thoughts by asking for evidence - what proof do you actually have that you're not good enough? Practice self-compassion by treating yourself with the same kindness you'd show someone you care about. Focus on your own personal development and progress rather than comparing yourself to others who are on completely different journeys with different advantages and challenges. Remember that everyone struggles with feelings of inadequacy sometimes - it's part of being human, not evidence that you're actually lacking in some fundamental way.