Self Acceptance
Society, family, friends and various other social environments place all kinds of pressures on us and have all kinds of expectations. I think it is when we can't meet those expectations that we become anxious and depressed. We have been found wanting, devalued. Anxiety and depression, some of the most prevalent afflictions, are symptoms of problems that lie much deeper.
So much value has been placed on certain attribues: intelligence, talents, beauty, etc. No value is given by default. You can't be valued just for being who you are. Of course there is a kind of real world logic to this. You may not bring as much to the world as someone else. This is just a reality. However, we have taken this (or some of us have) to mean that if we don't bring enough to the table then we ought not exist. This is one of the great farces humanity has created for itself. We give our pets more value and they don't write books, conduct science, compose music or create art. They're just there to welcome us without judgment. We appreciate them just the way they are. Why then can we not appreciate each other the way we are? Ourselves the way we are?
We can't all be brilliant. Some of us may have no good attributes. But we exist. We didn't ask for it. We feel pain just as much as any one else. We deserve a chance to live our lives the best we can, even if they can't be impressive or amazing.
We should improve what we can but accept what we can't change. Don't require that you have this or that attribute to be worthy of life. I think this is at least one of the hurtles we need to overcome in order to beat anxiety and depression.
