Insecurity

What it is
• Belief that one is inadequate or incompetent to handle life's challenges.
• Fear of being discovered as inadequate, ill-fitted, or unsuited to meet responsibilities at home, school, or on the job.
• Sense of not fitting in with one's peer group.
• Sense of always climbing up a mountain, never being able to reach the top.
• Sense of lacking support or reinforcement where you live, work, or play.
• A sense of being unaccepted, disapproved, or rejected.

Could lead to
• Self-pity
• Showing off
• Excessive perfectionism
• Becoming self-conscious and tense
• Becoming prone to stress and envy
• Frustration and depression
• Interpersonal problems with others, who perceive you as snobbish or defensive
• Becoming too aggressive and violent.

What to do
• Accept and acknowledge the feeling
• Analyze which areas of life you are insecure in
• Talk to close friends and well-wishers to help you overcome the feeling
• See if the feeling has any basis in a particular sphere of life. If it does, work on it objectively.
• View difficult situations and mistakes as temporary setbacks, and nothing to do with you as a person.