teetering confidence

[Smooch]

I'm not really sure where this should go but the negative/positive you threads are hear so ...yeah.

It seems like I teeter back and forth between feeling great about myself and then having no confidence whatsoever.
It's always one or the other.
This is regarding only my looks, btw.

I can't take a compliment. I Either become full of myself or completely brush it off.

Does anyone else feel this way?

 

[GYX_Kid]

you're a girl.

other than looks, yeah. it's mostly about what i see myself doing well in, or not. You could say it's simply a matter of doing and understanding things more and more to the point of mastering everything of interest, but a catch is that i can easily lose some of my soul and certain ability to enjoy things, if the wrong thing happens or if apathy settles in at the perfect moment, etc.

 

[Smooch]

lol okay.

I suppose its normal to feel that way then.

 

[smithcommajohn]

I rarely post about the times that I feel good about myself, but I also seem to have a pendulum swinging back and forth regarding my confidence levels (about looks and everything else, though).

Right now I have a surge of confidence and feel nearly unstoppable. I also feel happy, peaceful, handsome, lucky, hopeful, etc. If there is something abnormal about this, then we share it, but I'm inclined to believe these surges are experienced by most people. I feel at times that my pendulum swings to further extremes than others, but it could be that they mask it well.

 

[EditorOne]

I wouldn't worry about it. If you can't be ambivalent about yourself, who can be?

The default comment when someone pays you a compliment is simply "thank you." Then you have to neither analyze it nor run yourself down nor run with it, you simply acknowledge it and then, later, if it still seems worth it, why, you can analyze it to death in the privacy of your closet.

 

[Smooch]

The default comment when someone pays you a compliment is simply "thank you." Then you have to neither analyze it nor run yourself down nor run with it, you simply acknowledge it and then, later, if it still seems worth it, why, you can analyze it to death in the privacy of your closet.

which is what I usually do!

 

[Jah]

Oh,
You have beautiful hair.


Just say "thank you".

 

[Dimensional Transition]

Yeah, I think it's normal.

It's really weird how the perception of one's self can change so often and quickly. One day I'll see myself in the mirror with all my flaws exaggerated; an extremely twisted nose, super uneven nostrils, an uneven mouth, one side of my chin being bigger than the other, one eyelid hanging lower... and the other day I just see a moderately attractive guy in the mirror with pretty good features. I'm still not sure which one is the 'me' most other people see.

And @smithcommajohn: I also sadly seem to mostly share my negative moments on the internet... I guess I just don't really care about sharing my happiness whenever I feel really great, haha.
The thing is probably that positive stuff is cool and all, but generally doesn't cause much discussion/conversation.

 

[pjoa09]

Everyone does that. I think. It's called low self-esteem maybe.

You judge yourself. Judging yourself is subjective and subject to emotion. Emotions as we all know, change frequently. You judge yourself differently, frequently.

 

[digital angel]

I wouldn't worry about it. If you can't be ambivalent about yourself, who can be?

The default comment when someone pays you a compliment is simply "thank you." Then you have to neither analyze it nor run yourself down nor run with it, you simply acknowledge it and then, later, if it still seems worth it, why, you can analyze it to death in the privacy of your closet.

I agree.

 

[Chronomar]

If it's more than just self-esteem, maybe you're (mildly to moderatly) manic-depressive bipolar?

Sorry to bring it up somewhere else in the forum...but it seems that perhaps it may correlate with INTP, as I've seen a lot of INTPs in real life, INTP memebers of my family, and some INTPs here exhibit what I understand to be the signs. (that and I found out about it/found out I have it recently, so it's on my mind).

You go through "cycles" where things are either wonderful, off the wall, you can do anything, you sometimes have uncontrollable laughter/expressions of joy, burst of creativity, increased willingness to be around other people, you may enjoy everything around you more (the weather, music, sunlight reflecting off a glass), you feel healthier...

...and then, either in a cyclical way or in response to some event, it feels like you hit a wall, have no energy, little to no true creativity, little to no emotion, withdrawn, cynical, either self-critical or uncaring toward both yourself and others, a stagnant, internally depressive existance. Sometimes those "flatline" emotional planes stretch on for weeks or months or perhaps years, with only brief breaks into the manic.

...then perhaps something changes (the people you're around, the weather, you get your work done at last, etc.), or you just cycle back through, and you feel great again.

Alternatively, you might be manic most of the time, and only have those "down" moments occasionally.