When I look back at my own childhood, I can see I didn’t quite fit in. Although I wasn't always aware, I was dealing with self-esteem and confidence issues, that is what they were. There are many reasons as to why we don’t fit in, but for me it was because I was different.
Cerebral Palsy made me different and that meant I had different needs and my family’s inability to help and support me made things worse. Although I retreated into my own shell most of the time, I was aware of what confidence was.
I wanted to be able to fit into my life as easily as it seemed they fitted into theirs, but I also know that may not have been the case. All is not what it seems. It's true that we can go on to experience self-esteem issues early in our lives, but that isn't always the case for everyone.
There are those who have the perfect childhood, who go on to deal with difficulties and who can find themselves in situations where their self-esteem and confidence are being tested.
Experiences change the way we perceive ourselves, as we begin to lose sight or control of how we feel. Having self-esteem and confidence, can help us overcome some of our issues. Where some of us carry guilt that can be a heavy price to pay.
I grew up with self-esteem problems and to an extent still have them.
I think it's related to my lack of friends; somehow that contributed to it. My illness certainly didn't help because everyone was afraid to hang out with me. Now that I'm older, I've come to realize what true friends are and that has helped me.
My career has also helped, but I still lack confidence and doubt myself a lot. That comes from my childhood too because I was made to believe I couldn't do anything. I think it carries over into adulthood and it can be fixed with the right help.
Our self-esteem does take a knock when were made to believe we can't do anything. Not having an abundance of friends and your illness I believe were symptoms but not necessarily the cause.
If we believe we cannot do something we tend to give up on other things too.