Do you need to heal your self worth but don’t know how?

If you sometimes feel like you're not good enough, but don’t know how to change it, you can take steps to heal yourself using Indigenous wellness. 

In order to START feeling like you’re enough, you need to know why you don’t feel enough in the first place, and how to combat those unhealthy habits and turn them into new and empowering habits.

I’m going to explain 6 things that you are doing to feel not enough.

1) You’re not identifying WHY you're feeling not enough.

You might not be asking yourself where this initial thought is coming from.You could just be focusing on the impacts (or the symptoms) of how hard it feels right now, without thinking about what the source is. For example, is it yourself, your spouse, your boss, your kids, who you follow on Instagram?

Being unaware of what is making you feel certain ways can cause you to feel disconnected from yourself. It's so important to practice self awareness.

Here's what to do instead.

Ask yourself what is contributing to how good you feel. Then, reflect on your emotions and which events are causing them.

 Here are a few Indigenous wellness practices that can help:

Do you have trouble knowing WHY you don’t feel enough sometimes? 

It's important to START identifying why.

2) You are feeding into limiting beliefs

You are telling yourself you are not good enough. You are feeding yourself information that is limiting your mind, limiting your potential, and shaping your beliefs into something that is not serving you well.

Here are some examples of limiting beliefs are: I’m not good enough, there is not enough time, I’ll never be able to do _______.

Why you should stop feeding into limiting beliefs

In short, because they create a negative mindset. Its natural and okay to have these beliefs sometimes, but overcoming your limiting beliefs is a consistent practise to feeling happy, and having strong self-worth.

In the best circumstances limiting beliefs will prevent you from achieving your goals.

In the worst circumstances, limited beliefs can spiral into the worst forms of depression and suffering.

Instead of feeding into these limiting beliefs, you can 1) practice self-empowerment with positive affirmations and 2) practice self-love.

Helpful Indigenous wellness practices 

Gratitude can quickly get you into a positive mindset. Indigenous worldview is also a really good way to help with your beliefs system. Love is one of the 7 Grandfather teachings, and practicing self love is an amazing way to overcome limiting beliefs.

What is a limiting belief you are working towards overcoming?

3) You are allowing your environment to damage your worth. 

Maybe your environment is causing you a lot of stress or negative emotions. It could be your family, your friends, your co-workers, or even your online environment (i.e. people whose content you watch on social media).

Why you need to stop allowing your environment to damage your worth

Environment plays a HUGE role in what feeds your thoughts

Your environment is not going to change itself; you have to take action to make the changes yourself.  You are always in control of your environment. 

Instead reflect on your environmental impacts and how they make you feel. Ask yourself how these different environments in your life impact your worth. Then, change your environment, if you need to. 

Helpful Indigenous wellness practices

1. The Indigneous worldview of connectivity: This is a very powerful teaching to help you learn about the energy around you effecting your mood.
   
   
2. Attend positive environments such as indigenous ceremonies where there is drumming, dancing and other spiritual activities.

4) You're not putting yourself FIRST. 

You are constantly putting others needs before yours.You are probably an extremely helpful person, caring, and generous, but you often spend most of your time doing things for other people.

There is a lot of stigma out there around being selfless and always putting others first but more mental health practitioners are realizing that is just media and outdated beliefs.

Why you should stop doing this

Its important to care for yourself and focus on your needs sometimes so that you have the energy to be able to help others. If you neglect your own needs for too long, you will become overwhelmed and it can becoming damaging to your health

What to do instead

Instead of putting others first all the time:

1. Set healthy boundaries for people in your life who count on you
   
   
2. Think about what's important for you and choose to prioritize yourself

Helpful Indigenous wellness practices

Spend time gaining clarity on your world and what you personally believe in.
Practice self-awareness to understand what you want in your life, who you want to be, and how you see the world when everyone else's needs around you are met.

Do you feel not enough while you’re always putting others' needs ahead of your own? 

It's time to start focusing on yourself!

5) You are off balance.

When you feel off balance it generally results in you not feeling happy, fulfilled or enough.

You may be off balance if:

• You are putting more energy into one area in your life than you want to.
• You are neglecting another area and just feeling off as a result.
• You are feeling it in your gut.
• Other people are telling you that you are off balance.

Why you should NOT just ignore it

Being off balance won't resolve itself itself on its own. You have the potential to be so much happier than you are when you are fulfilling your spiritual, physical, emotional and mental needs.

All areas of your state of being are connected so balancing them out will directly help with your self-worth.

What to do instead

1. Ask yourself if you are off balance by your own evaluation, not others
   
   
2. Understand the need for balance which will lead to happiness, and listen to what your intuition is telling you 
   
   
3. Belief that you are worth it to be balance and happy
   

Helpful Indigenous wellness practices

Use the medicine wheel teaching to evaluate which are states are off balance.

Are any of your states of being (spiritual, physical, emotional and mental) off balance?

By starting to value balance, you will be able to evaluate how you can achieve and maintain a more balanced life.   

6) You are placing your worth in someone else's actions.

You are allowing your self-worth to be determined by something or someone else.

Why you should stop doing this 

Placing your worth in someone else's actions is dangerous because it is completely out of your control, which makes your happiness and self-worthiness at the complete mercy of external factors.

What to do instead

1. Place your self-worth in your own control 
   
   
2. Allow yourself to be the determinant in how valuable you are
   
   
3. Practice self love and remember that what matters most is how much love you have for yourself

Helpful Indigenous wellness practices

Take care of yourself with smudging with sage and gratitude practices And always be grateful for all of the good things in your life/

Stop placing your worth in something or someone else’s actions in order to feel good enough and realize that your self-worth is 100% your choice, in your hands, and in your control/

Which part of this video did you find most helpful?