Why do I feel like I'm never enough for anyone?

Feeling like you're never enough for anyone is a deeply painful belief that often develops from experiences where love and acceptance felt conditional on meeting impossible standards or constantly proving your worth. This might stem from childhood experiences with parents who were never satisfied with your achievements, who constantly compared you to others, or who withheld affection when you didn't meet their expectations. Over time, these experiences can create a core belief that you're fundamentally inadequate and that no matter what you do, it will never be sufficient to earn genuine love and acceptance. This feeling often manifests as constantly trying to be more - more successful, more attractive, more helpful, more entertaining - in an exhausting attempt to finally be enough for someone. You might find yourself changing your personality to match what you think others want, sacrificing your own needs to please others, or working excessively to prove your value. The painful irony is that the harder you try to be enough, the more inadequate you might feel, especially when others don't respond with the appreciation and acceptance you're desperately seeking. Sometimes this feeling comes from being in Interpersonal relationship with people who are emotionally unavailable, highly critical, or who have their own issues that prevent them from offering genuine appreciation and love. If you consistently find yourself with people who make you feel inadequate, it might reflect patterns in your relationship choices rather than your actual worth. finding identity/perfectionism-how-to-let-go" class="internal-link">perfectionism often underlies the feeling of never being enough, creating impossible standards that no human could consistently meet. You might believe that anything less than perfect performance in Interpersonal relationship, work, or personal development means you're failing to be worthy of love. The truth is that your worth isn't determined by others' approval or by your ability to meet their expectations. Healthy Interpersonal relationship involve mutual acceptance of each other's imperfections and humanity. People who truly care about you will appreciate your efforts and growth mindset rather than constantly demanding more. If you consistently feel like you're not enough for the people in your life, it might be worth examining whether you're surrounding yourself with people who are capable of genuine appreciation and love, or whether you're trying to earn something that should be freely given.