How to overcome the lack of confidence?
I am facing a problem that is very common among young people – lack of confidence in myself. Trust is built since childhood, but both my parents are shy and uncertain persons, and often feel inferior towards other people and they have not allowed me to be myself. I became very confused. For example, when it comes to meet new people, I do not know what to do and how to behave. And especially I often have negative emotions, I want to vomit and I am afraid. I read in the Psalter of the blessed Saint Mary that it is very important to know yourself, that lack of knowledge is "poverty". But for me it is very hard … I am lost in my own thoughts and I feel that it only harms me. I'm a very shy person, I do not know how to react to compliments in different situations in society. I prayed for it and I had a period of significant spiritual improvement. I felt that I know who I am and that I can fight with my emotions. But now, a few days ago, the negative states of anxiety have returned back. I feel lost, hopeless and I feel physically sick, because I can not eat and I started to have stomach problems. What to do?
Even if the author of this passage refers to cases when someone over-values himself or herself, the same truth applies to those who under-value themselves, they begin to lament and to indulge in this state. To have moderate feelings means to think about yourself in accordance with the reality, no more and no less.But how can such a thing be done?Already in the same text, the author gives a solution, namely, to not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.This will may be known only from the Holy Scriptures. Begin reading the Bible so that this transformation and renewal of your mind may take place and thus not to despise yourself, but to have moderate feelings about your own person.
Study the Holy Scriptures daily and seek to understand the message of God in depth. Only then you will get to know your spiritual condition, wrong attitudes and other shortcomings that make you and those around you suffer.More than this, in God's Word, you will find solutions, that being applied will make you happy in what you do.
Knowing Jesus can be achieved by studying and applying the truth of Holy Scriptures.
As for the fact that you do not know what to do when you meet new people or when they compliment you, I will write an article in a few days presenting some tips in this regard.
I invite the readers of the portal to share their own experiences on how they have overcome the states described by the author of the question, when they faced with such states.