Is Identity Crisis A Result Of Non Acceptance?

What is your identity? How do you identity yourself?

Most of us identify ourselves by associating our identity with our names, the things we like, the work we do, simply for the purpose of being identified. We don’t really think about the unique element we are gifted with, neither do we focus on our individuality. We want to be recognised and be a part of the society and not be triggered by the process of ‘othering’ so we tend to delve ourselves into believing that we are no different, because different is perceived as unacceptable or objectionable.

Identity crisis in adolescents and teenagers can be nerve wracking as it can lead to self doubt, low self esteem and anxiety which can also lead to several disorders. Identity crises leaves a teenager on the edge whos starts questioning his/her purpose of life and loses trust in people they cannot connect to, their vision about their life and goals becomes blurry and their role in their society is uncertain to themselves.

The way we identify ourselves now, shapes our image of how we see ourselves in the future and so we set our goals, if we can identify ourselves and see a future where we are acceptable. If we don’t, we just sit back and don’t bother looking for acceptance because you know you are going nowhere.

When we do not feel accepted and don’t feel a part of the society, we tend to isolate ourselves creating a safe space for ourselves and often tend to befriend people who we can relate to which leads to our downfall with us being in our comfort zone and not being subjected to change or unfamiliarity causing us to shudder and hide away from the world.

We all long and crave for love and acceptance and praise by those who we value and who believe in us. And when we are thrown into a completely random and unfamiliar space and are not accepted for who we are and are considered weird, We tend to begin to doubt ourselves and this leads to the process of identity crisis where one cannot identity with its self and suddenly cannot feel like they belong to any community.A lot of us mask our true selves in order to belong to people but that again ultimately leads to identity crisis when one is tired of pretending, unmasks his/her true self and confronts themselves.

So what can we do to feel accepted:
ü Be true to oneself
ü Accept yourself for who you are completely
ü Accept others choices and respect them
ü Embrace the differences
ü Do not look down on others
ü Believe in yourself
ü Even if you don’t feel accepted, feel comfortable by yourself
ü Don’t try to fit in
ü Try portraying your true self to people and you will find acceptance for who you are

Being true to yourself and understanding yourself is the most essential part of human growth. This makes us more compassionate and open to adaptations and changes. Confronting ourselves and acknowledging our issues or our feelings helps us recognise what we want and need. Some changes and choices might be hard for us make, but if they make us feel proud of ourselves, that is what matters.

Believe, one word, so many feelings. We need somebody who can believe in us and trust us. But how we expect somebody else to believe in us when we can’t even believe in ourselves? If we can accept ourselves and see and have a vision of what we can achieve and that we are capable of it, even in our darkest of times and when the entire universe is pulling us down with all the energy, we’ve succeeded.

At the end of the day all we want is to feel comfortable with who we truly are and to be accepted for who we are. In order to achieve this state of acceptance, it is necessary to accomplish self-acceptance. Self-acceptance is the first most step to loving yourself and loving everybody around you and if we all reach this, we wouldn’t have to be afraid of being different or accepted even in a deep space of flawed self and fear of judgement. We could all be in the state of acceptance and attain and fulfil our roles in the society and be giving and productive beings of the universe!