5 sencillos pasos para ayudarte cuando te sientas poco apreciado

There is a time in everybody’s life when it seems that nothing we do is appreciated. I’m sure you feel that way sometimes as well. Your kind gestures are gladly accepted but not valued and the nice things you do for others are taken for granted. You can’t remember the last time somebody said thank you or please and you are starting to feel a bit meaningless and without any real value.

You always carry a smile on your face but inside you feel like screaming and crying. If you’re feeling this way right now, hopefully this piece can help you cope with it. Feeling unappreciated can be painful, so here are some easy steps to help you deal with it and start feeling better about yourself!

1. Comunique abiertamente sus sentimientos

Keeping your feelings bottled up inside will only make you feel worse about yourself. Take a brave step and communicate your feelings to those you feel are not appreciating you enough. Perhaps they are simply not aware of how you’re feeling, since you have become so good at hiding it.

Give them an opportunity to say their side of the story and don’t snap at them. Be kind and gentle with your approach. Demanding thanks will hardly make it happen and it won’t feel genuine. Allow them to explain that they do in fact gracias pero tal vez fueron descuidados a la hora de demostrarlo. Probablemente te darás cuenta de que nunca quisieron que te sintieras de otra manera.

2. Don’t put your sense of self-worth in someone else’s hands

If you allow others to affect your own sense of self-worth, you’re on the fast track to dangerous territory where you will never feel fully okay with yourself. You have to realize that the way others see you is not how you should see yourself. It is not the measure of your value.

Don’t let how other people feel toward you determine how you value yourself. Especially since you don’t see everyone in your life in the same way.

When you are secure with the kind of person you are, others will see it too and any thanks you get will be genuine. Anything else, you don’t need.

3. Seek help if you don’t feel you can handle this on your own

Don’t ever feel ashamed of how you’re feeling. Everybody goes through dark periods sometimes, it’s all a part of life. If what you’re feeling seems too much and it’s bothering you on a deeper level, ask for help. Find a professional who can help you determine the best way to go forward in the healthiest manner for you.

Alguien imparcial y que no sepa nada de ti ni de nadie cercano puede ofrecerte una nueva perspectiva de tu situación y puede que sea justo lo que necesitas. No tienes por qué pensar que su única intención es ayudarte a recuperar tu autoestima.

4. Assess if the environment you’re in is a healthy one

Perhaps the reason you’re feeling so unappreciated and lost is due to the fact you’re surrounded by the wrong people. Try to take a step back and determine the nature of your relationship with whoever is making you feel this way.

Sepa que no está obligado a estar cerca de nadie permanentemente y que si siente que una determinada persona se ha convertido en un veneno en su vida, tiene todo el derecho a apartarse de esa situación. Es probable que así recupere su autoestima, porque ya no queda nadie que envenene su vida.

Sometimes, it’s as simple as that. You don’t need anyone who te hunde en tu vida, especialmente si están disminuyendo tu propia visión y valor de ti mismo.

5. Apreciar a los demás

Your sense of decreased value comes from an inner feeling of not appreciating yourself enough. Start seeing all the good things in other people and openly appreciate what they do for you. But don’t do it in order for them to reciprocate the notion. Do it because you are genuinely appreciative.

Cuando muestras aprecio, es probable que te lo devuelvan. También te ayudará a resistir la tentación de sentirte infravalorado por los demás y a aumentar tu autoestima.

De ninguna manera estoy tratando de insinuar que sentirse poco apreciado is in any way your own fault. My point is that you may be giving too much importance to this. You may be reading too much into someone’s apparent lack of appreciation. But you get to control what bothers you and what doesn’t. So, try to evaluate what is worthy of making you feel this way and what is maybe not as important as you initially thought.