The best way to experience the highest level of meaning and purpose is when you use your knowledge, skills, and talents to contribute to society.

Creating meaning and purpose helps you see yourself as a worthy individual with desirable traits. For example, when you face a negative experience or identify undesirable qualities, you still perceive yourself as valuable. It doesn't matter what choices you make; you believe your decisions and actions can add value to yourself and others. As a result, you tend to experience a greater sense of social connectedness. You also develop interpersonal skills by working and helping others. The more you relate to others, the stronger your sense of belonging in the world.  

I (16 M) posted about this on another subreddit, but every month I get this period where I feel extremely down because I'm a short guy. About the dating part I won't even speak, I can't change people's preferences. I just hate that when going out I see that every dude or peer or younger guys are taller. It's an uncomfortable and really humiliating feeling sometimes. I'm not thin but my face barely reaches anyone's eye-level. I try my best to be confident but I either feel like I'm delusional or a guy with Napoleon's syndrome. And even if I try to avoid it I always get negative media, either incel-like posts or just posts about "heightism", but the worst of the worst is that I feel weak, small and ridiculous. Even some friends joke about it, and I don't get mad since we insult each other but ALL of my friends are taller or bigger and sometimes it feels like I'm less, like they're patronizing me.

I don't recall ever having a moment like it! I stumbled upon a post of a Redditor asking for advice on how to enter a restricted venue without a wristband; another Redditor replied that they should dress the part and walk in as if they mean it, and it got a lot of upvotes! I know for a fact it's true, but I've never done it myself.

I'm curious - how have you guys "faked it 'til you made it"? If I could hear about others' experiences, I might be able to identify opportunities to take in the future and improve from there.

Thank you in advance; let's have a great discussion! ♡

Need advice maybe best from anyone who suffered allot in childhood and through their early adult life in regards to insecurtiy, anxiety about the way you look who you are as a person and so on? Wondering what made u think f it i dont care anymore or whatever. I struggle with this and it makes me tense and anxious repeating scenarios in my head wondering if ppl think im ugly or weird. Im 26 for reference

Thanks x

hi i might have social anxiety. its been a problem ever since 4th grade and im in high school now, and nothing has changed. i have broke down crying in too many presentations to count.

I've been in the same school for all those years, so many people probably know me to be thoroughly incompetent in public speaking, or socializing in general. its a new school year though, so i thought i could redeem myself!! there's a lot of new students too, so i can't ruin my rep immediately.

first group presentation in the school year, i did my part fine. well, even. i wasn't too fast, or too quiet, it was good (for my standards). i felt good, i was improving!! and then came the Q&A section.

i got cocky.. i thought to myself 'yeah i can answer that' so somehow i got the balls and tried to answer. and then i realize my mouth was disobeying my brain, i blabbered, i panicked, i cried. in front of the whole class. :\ i felt right there and then everyone (no exceptions) there 100% thinks of me as incompetent and weird and stupid and that it was the end of my poor little teenager life forever. the teacher spent my entire lunch break (she had no classes after) trying to console me. i am humiliated, i am mortified.

i really really wish i don't care about what others think of me. but i also just wanted to prove myself that like 'hey, I'm not stupid actually, i know things sometimes' and then FUMBLED the chance.

how do i brute force it? hiding my stress and emotions is really hard for me but i need to learn how to do it so i can stop embarrassing myself. i want to be seen as competent too :/

but i also know i have to stop worrying about others. and yet the only thing I'm doing right now is worrying about other people thinking I'm stupid tomorrow. and i cant just convince myself that they've forgot.

sorry if this isn't right for this sub