Why You Should Give Yourself More Credit For What You Do

Fun fact: I very recently came to terms with the fact that I have depression. I have been depressed for as I can remember but didn’t think that I was depressed enough to actually have depression (FYI: that’s a symptom of depression). For the past few months, I have tried multiple counseling services, reached out to a lot of (thankfully) supportive people, and taken measures to lessen my day-to-day symptoms. But it hasn’t been easy.

 

My depression has a little voice that likes to compare me to other people. Now, comparisons aren’t necessarily a bad thing. They can be encouraging, especially when you feel like you can do better. But sometimes they can bring you down when you don’t deserve the criticism. I’ll compare myself to my best friend, who is a literal A+ student and still finds the time to run a club, work in a research lab, and perform in multiple campus ensembles. Or I’ll compare myself to my boyfriend, who is a gifted photographer, has several paid internships under his belt, and is incredibly talented in school as well.

 

They’re both really cool people. But they’re not me. And that’s what I’m working on prioritizing when I hear that little voice tearing me down. No, I may not have their grades, but I’m still on Dean’s List. I haven’t had an internship, but I work multiple jobs on campus and have been consistently employed for the past five summers. And I do things that they don’t: I work in two theaters on campus; I cook my own meals; I am a published author; and I just came home from a conference in Florida, where I co-presented my lab’s research in a room of Ph.Ds and other professional researchers.

 

I deserve my place in the world because I am doing my own things at my own pace. It hasn’t been an easy realization because, you know, depression. But this is a journey I need to do for me, and I’m taking time out of my busy schedule of trying to please everyone else around me to make sure that I take care of myself too. I don’t like it because I’m, you know, depressed, and because I don’t want to come off as selfish. But I’m doing this for me. I’m important because I do things that I care about, that I am good at, and that are unique to me.  I need to give myself more credit because, whether I believe it or not, I am successful in my own right.