What is the feeling of inadequacy?

 We all experience feelings of inadequacy from time to time by comparing ourselves to others. So how can we overcome feelings of inadequacy?

We all compare ourselves to others from time to time. When we see how other people are doing in a moment of success or failure, we enter into certain feelings and thoughts. Even though we have our own goals and paths, what others are doing may be the first thing that catches our attention. Sometimes, even if we have reached our own goal, when we see someone better and more successful than us, we experience regret and sadness instead of the happiness we deserve. Sometimes we don't even realize that we wear ourselves out with questions like "Why am I not as good as him?", "Where did I go wrong?" We forget that everyone's talents and characteristics are completely different. We can be unfair to ourselves because of the perfectionist structure we have established in our minds.

What Could Be the Reasons Why We Feel Inadequate?
Although the reasons why a person starts to feel inadequate vary from person to person, we can generally say that traumas from early ages are quite effective. The environment of love and respect in family life is one of the most important factors in the formation of a person's character. Children who do not receive enough attention from their families at a young age and do not feel proud may worry that no one will appreciate them in their later years because they are not successful and good enough. Feedback from the family at a young age is very important for the child's awareness. If consistent attitudes are displayed not only with words but also with actions, the child will not question his/her value and adequacy. Parents need to be very sensitive and conscious in their behaviors and attitudes, as their effects on their children's immediate and future lives are too great to ignore.

"It is natural to expect the people in our lives to be happy and proud of our successes and to be sad with us for our failures or sadness."

This feeling of inadequacy is of course not just a feeling that comes from childhood events. People who come into our lives later can also make us feel this way. If our partners or friends do not make us feel happy and proud of our successes, we can start to question our own successes. We start to think, "I wonder if I wasn't successful enough." However, if we manage to motivate ourselves for new successes with our own successes, we can get rid of the feeling of inadequacy without needing anyone. We experience very short-term motivation when others motivate us, but after we learn to motivate ourselves, this motivation spreads to the general public. It is very natural to expect the people in our lives to be happy and proud of our successes and to be sad with us when we fail or are sad. This is exactly what should happen.

How Can We Overcome Feelings of Inadequacy?
1. First, we must make peace with our aspects and characteristics that we see as deficient and bad. We may make an effort to change them, but if it is a deficiency or characteristic that is resistant to change, we must accept its existence and stop thinking about it.
2. We should think about our better aspects and focus on improving them.
3. We should stop making comparisons. We should focus on improving ourselves, not on trying to be like others.
4. The most important and valuable thing is ourselves. We must think and act without forgetting this.

What Psychological Disorders Are Associated with Feelings of Inadequacy?
One of the basic feelings of anxiety-based psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety is the feeling of inadequacy. A person's dissatisfaction with the job they do, the school they attend, or even their appearance can lead to a depressive and anxious mood, and if these disorders reach a certain level, psychological treatment must be applied.