i feel insecure.
craig says it's so silly but it is what it is.
i get uneasy when i have to walk into a room of people
or a gym packed with people
or even a restaurant with brighter lighting.
i feel like everyone is looking at me.
and if i really think about it…they aren't.
why would they?
when i feel the most insecure is around other parents at school or sporting events.
i am not sure why…
but that's when it hits the worst.
so there you have it.
i have insecurity issues.
but i am pretty sure i am not alone in that.
melanie-pearl - “40/60/80:
’till 40 i worried what people thought of me
at 60 i didn’t care what they thought of me
at 80 i realized no one was thinking of me”
someone shared that “rule” with me last week, and i adamantly refuted it. most people ARE thinking about us…and sadly they are not just thinking, they are judging.
i’m finding that as i make peace with myself (by being who God made me to be), therby making peace with others (it’s hard to think contrary of a person who is so totally who they are supposed to be), i am freed from the worry about what others are thinking of me.
the world and its minions still nag from time to time, but i “recover” by immersing myself with the company of others who are likeminded about their own peace.
Houston - I just read this post and smiled. I feel the same way around the other Moms at school. Today I felt completely justified in that when one of them told me that I am snotty about food. I thought to myself ‘um, you enjoy what I make for appetizers at our pool in the summer… I know because I saw you snarf it down.’ It’s no wonder I feel that way. The truth is they are just as insecure and that’s why they behave the way they do, aloof and sort of arrogant… at least that’s what I’ve decided to believe.
erin - Oh my gosh I am the same way! I have to be super social and outgoing in my career but once I get around other moms from school or sports or whatever I totally freeze up. How do we break this??? I guess just get over ourselves and say hello? Maybe we should try it. I am going to make your lasagna by the way. Yum!
janet - Me too! Hate that. Glad to see I am not alone.Thanks for sharing!
mel - Wow, I would have never ever guessed you were insecure! Thank you for sharing your heart with us & I will be lifting you up in prayer. Love you!
p.s. there is no reason you should be insecure….i want to be you when I grow up! 🙂
Lin - Posting a little late, but thought I’d share anyway. I am always insecure around other parents. I am terrible at small talk, uneasy in social situations. I never feel as accomplished as the other parents. I completely relate. I’m just surprised someone as talented as you would feel that way too.
Melissa - everyone has insecurites and men don’t worry about anything.
Julie James - definetly not alone
Heidi Jo the Artist - I think EVERYONE has insecurities. I’m sure some people wouldn’t admit to being insecure, but we are all humans and imperfect. What doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger though! 🙂
Cheers to you Meg, may God bless YOU on your journey to become a more confident woman.
Julie Wriston - No, not alone, but having read your blog for some time now I’m not sure why you would ever be insecure. You’re so talented. I can’t imagine anyone like you being insecure. Ever. 🙂
Cary - I tend to avoid most situations (like parties and such) because I am so uncomfortable “mingling”. I never feel like I fit in or blend in, but instead I feel like I stand out. I know how you feel. Keep your head up and remember-you can do all things through Christ- he will give you the strength to face uncomfortable situations. Be yourself, because who you are is a lovely, talented, wonderful woman and mother! xoxo
Megan - Boy, I just love your honesty. Why do we women do that? Men don’t usually…and think we are crazy when we do because we waste so much of our life. We need to realize that when we walk into say a school event and we see those moms that look like they have their shit together, they so don’t. They have insecurities just like the rest of us.
I guess it just comes down to the fact that we are all women who just want to be liked. And maybe if we all came to that conclusion we would all be nicer. Just a thought!
Kristine - i just finished everyone’s comments and i have a couple more things to say 🙂
piggybacking what a commenter said above:
PRETEND TO BE BRAVE, EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT, NO ONE WILL KNOW
and
with everyone saying how we all feel the same, this year on the first day of school i felt like such a loser b/c i wasn’t ready with all the school supplies. but when i got there my circle of mom friends were saying how one of them bought their markers from the dollar store and they were all dried out and didn’t work. another mom wasn’t even in her family picture b/c she’s always behind the camera (sound familiar?!) so we were all laughing saying how we’re all the same and we’re all not perfect and we’re SO GLAD to know we’re not alone. and that’s why we’re all friends!
p.s. can you imagine how insecure celebrities feel? but we think they’re so confident… they’re just pretending… it’s survival! 🙂
Nocona - What a great blog. Phil 4:8 is one of my life verses. This is a link to where I blogged about it. http://thoughtsfromthetreadmill.blogspot.com/2009/12/thankful-thursday.html
I am glad to find you blog.
karol - good gravy, you are talking about me!!! i so feel for you. I especially have issues about walking into the school for an event. knowing others feel the same way is definitely a comfort.
Wendy - I struggle too, Meg! Going into church every week is even hard. I’m really overweight, so I think people are staring at me in horror. 🙁 Chin up, girl! xox
julia - It’s so funny that you would say you feel insecure…from reading about you I think “that girl really has her act together. I want to be like her when I grow up (even though I’m older than you!)”
Suzanne - don’t let the devil torment you Meg.
you are a child of God and definitely not alone!
Jessica Crowe - I’m new to your blog, but I’ve been reading in your archives and I just want to say that I love your blog! I love your house, your pictures, your crafts, everything! You’ve really been inspiring me. I just wanted to encourage you. Oh, and my good friend told me about your blog and she loves you too. She adores the way your house is decorated (me too).
Diana - I’ve dealt with social anxiety all my life. {Go figure, considering some of the jobs and positions I’ve held in the past!} Someone close to me has it so bad they must take medication to get through each day. Doctors will tell you everyone has it to some degree. You are not alone, sweetie. And remember that God is always right there with you! {hugz}
tami reed - I feel like that sometimes too especially if I am really dressed up going to an event. I always feel like everyone is starring at me.
Amy - Oh my gosh! You sound exactly like me!! I have to do jury duty this week. I’m terrified!! I DO NOT like to step out of my comfort zone. I pray that God will help me with my insecurity issues. I will say some for you too. 🙂
Amy in KS
Jamie - My mom always told me, “you wouldn’t worry so much about what other people thought of if you realized how little they actually did.” It’s true, of course, but that doesn’t really help when you’re caught up in the throes of insecurity. Just remember that it’s serving a purpose in your life. Teaching you compassion for others and helping you to be a better mom. It’s just a part of the journey, something we all share!
Lisa K in FL - Megan, I love, love, love you and your family, your house, your style – you seem so comfy in your own skin and free to do what you love and surround yourself with what you love to see, touch, and feel.
On another note, I grew up in an environment with critical people and I learned to be critical. Even when it wasn’t verbalized, I was constantly criticizing and critiquing in my head – everyone and everything. It caused me to believe that everyone was that same way and that I was being critiqued by everyone who saw me. It took a long time to re-program my thoughts, but I eventually began to look for the beauty in everything and everyone (although it is still a struggle sometimes) and I am still a work in progress in this area, but once I became less rigid about what was beautiful, I realized no one was holding me to that impossible high standard either. Nice run-on sentence 🙂 Did that make any sense at all? haha. I have really grabbed hold of The Nester’s mantra, “It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful”. And I remind myself this a lot – I don’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.
Anyway, sorry for the long comment. You don’t strike me as someone who is overly critical and I would assume you are good at seeing the beauty in everything because you are so gifted at capturing it through your lens. Maybe there would still be some nugget of insight here. You are so loved. In a non-stalker kind of way, of course 😉 xo
Laura Phelps - I dream of the day I actually get to LOOK AT YOU and not just read about you
And I will look and look and look and look…
if it helps, I feel fat.
all of the time.
and ugly.
and poor.
and like a big loser.
hmmm…
am I insecure too??????
Laura - This has nothing to do with insecurity. But, I would really love it if you would do a post about how things are going without sugar. Do you feel better? Is it still a real struggle? I really need to make some changes. I would love to know that it gets easier and that you feel better. But, I want the truth! : )
Paige - Came over from aefilkins blog! Love it. I am now following you and can’t wait to come back and read more. Blessings!
katy - This is funny that you say this b/c I’m having a horrible insecurity issue right NOW!!!!!!!! Ugh, I don’t like feeling this way AT ALL! I just TRY to pretend that I’m not and that helps sometimes. Off to Bunco tonight, where I’ll feel insecure even more so……..GOSH, why oh why do we put this on ourselves. and yes, it is what it is.
Unfortunately, when I feel insecure…I get mean. How sad.
alyssa - why do we feel this way? especially when we read things like this and realize that there are SO many others that do the same. but we still do it. heart races. face gets red. want to crawl under a table. I’m with ya.
Jeannine - Definitely not alone.
I have issues with my insecurities all. the. time.
Thank you for keeping it real and sharing.
And for the record – you ROCK.
I hope I can be like you someday when I’m a mom =)
Alison Mendralski - I have this feeling all the time. Maybe we should start to think about all of the others that are probably feeling the same way as we do when we are in that situation. When are you the most confident though? I am a teacher and I always feel confident infront of my students because I know I am the expert at what I am trying to teach them in the room. I think that our society today makes us feel insecure, due to the competition factor that is hovering over us everyday, Everyone always wants to be better than everyone else.
laura - it looks like you have lots of these already, but here’s another book suggestion: “When people are big and God is small” by Ed Welch. So, so good.
tara pollard pakosta - not alone at all!
I feel the same way!
hang in there and know you
are wonderful the way you are!
tara
Brooke - meg i am looking at you…but only because i am looking up to you…i had a miserable summer being someone i am not and never wanted to be…but coming back to your blog and it honestly helped me to refocus on what is important in life and for that i say thank you lady!
Tina - You are certainly not alone. I have a hard time understanding why we feel uncomfortable around other parents who are supposed to be our “friends”, we are all in the same boat here. . .but it is normally those people who make us the most insecure. Go figure. . . .
Courtney Walsh - Um, yeah, you are surely not alone. 🙂
Staci - HEY….Guess what????? People ARE looking at you when you walk into a room….only because you are a ROCKSTAR BLOGGER!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, they are just jealous 🙂 You just hold that pretty head high girl!!! (I can say this bc I am THE LEAST CONFIDENT PERSON EVER!!!! hee heee) I really do think you are a ROCKSTAR!!!!!!!
Stephanie - Girl! Beth Moore’s new book comes out Feb. 2 called So Long Insecurity! Get your copy; I know God will do great things with that book for BOTH of us
sarah w - definitely not alone….
H-Mama - not alone at all. love this picture!
Emily - You’re right, you obviously aren’t alone! I’m the same way and I wish I wasn’t. My oldest just started kindergarten this year and so we’ve been newly exposed to a lot of new situations like what you spoke of. I always slightly dread them. I know personally that I have to somehow get over it though otherwise it’s going to be a long 12 years! 🙂
Katie - Have you ever read Beautiful Girlhood? I think you would love the book. It was written around the turn of the century, and has been reprinted. There is a chapter in it on being self-conscious, and not only does it totally describe how I was feeling, it brought me out of myself and helped me realize I’m not as important as I think I am! Highly recommended, and know, you are not alone.
Rebekah - Nope. Not alone.
Kelly O. - no…you’re not alone 🙂
Christy - I have the exact same issues. And to look at you,I would never have thought you had these issues too.
Karina - I am loving the comments this has generated! You certainly are not alone. I like many of the tips readers have passed along. Mine is something along the lines of Seinfeld’s, “Serenity now” (although hopefully with better results than George’s dad had, LOL!). But yeah, it is pretty intense around other school parents, I wonder why that is? After all, we are all in the same boat. It sure helps to remember they are all feeling the same way too. And I agree with Mary Beth: give a little smile to someone, it alleviates those feelings enormously.
Meaghan - That’s not a fun feeling. I’m the same way, plus sometimes I get really sweaty hands and pits! That doesn’t help – on top of feeling insecure, I look it too. Haha! While it’s hard, I’ve been learning to think “oh, well” because I know the people who really count like and love me anyway. 🙂
Mary Beth - I am so amazed to read how so many of us have these same feelings of angst! I am an old woman with a big family of wonderful children and grandgirls, a wonderful husband and a full life. But I confess to you that even I still struggle with these same crippling feelings!
As I’ve been sitting here reading all the comments and thinking about my own journey down this road, I’ve remembered that the Lord has showed me many times how to deal with this. Whenever I feel swamped by my own uncute nose, or my uncool outfit, or my akwardness, or lack of worldly savvy, I am to stop and remember that every person out there is hurting, sad, sick, lonely and my job is to try and be a blessing. Just ask Him how He wants you to be a blessing today…even if it’s just a smile for a stranger. Thinking about how to bless others is a good way to get us out of ourselves . I think the enemy wants us to flounder around in our little fog of concerns and it keeps us from being effective in the world. Everyone has a smile, a hug, a laugh, a listening ear, to share and bless others with. When we spend ourselves that way we dont have time to worry about those niggling worries any more! Just a thought!
Andrea - cool!! i do too! especially at school events..ugh. =)
elma - Oh I have that to:) Allways have had it. Never felt good about myself. I thought once I got older it would go away but it hasn’t. Seven of my eight kids don’t have it but I see it in my seven year old.
Audrey Dudte - You’re definitely not alone! …but maybe the people who you feel are looking at you are actually people who read your blog. I ran into you and in Walmart by the soap a couple of weeks ago and almost started talking to you…until I thought – “SHE DOESN’T KNOW ME!” You probably wondered why that crazy woman kept looking at you! Actually – I was looking at you daughter’s outfit…my 6 year old would have loved it! I love your blog!
Dawn - Definitely not alone! I feel like insecure is my middle name so much of the time.
Meredith - Been there. However, a very wise and kind, older woman said to me a few years ago “You’d best get past that quick smart. You’ve got children now and you’re sure to pass it on to them. I’ve seen it time after time.” Great, I thought, now I have guilt AND insecurity.
She’s right though. Then she pointed me towards 2 Timothy 1:7 (I think?) “For God did not give us a spirit of fear; but of power, love and of a sound mind.” Of course you’re insecure…you’re human and you possess a humble spirit. Just don’t let it stop you from doing things you love and being everything God created you to be. Meredy xo.
pinkmilkisyummy - Me too. I have had two pieces of advice which helped. First was when I was a teenager, and someone said to me “everyone feels the same way, so how can anyone be looking at you when they’re so busy worrying that everyone is looking at them?” And the other was to “fake confidence” which works for me. If I pretend to be confident, people respond as if I am, which in turn fuels my confidence.
And I LOVE your photo!
Annette - I hear you and totally relate.
jenjen - I feel just the same! I have terrible issues… Glad to hear other people feel that way too 🙂
XOOX
Jen
Andrea - You are so not alone. I have spent much of my life trying to blend in with the wallpaper. And then? My feelings get hurt if I don’t get noticed or I get forgotten…both of which happen frequently. How messed up is that?
Lynsey - I have been reading your blog for a while now and have finally decided to come clean dadgummit!
I think you are as cute as all get out! Truly!
Sadly, I think most women struggle with insecurities. I know I sure do.
Blessings to you and your beautiful family!
Lynsey
(Texas)
kristin - Hey Meg!
I have never commented on your blog but love to read your posts!
I just wanted you to know that insecurity is the “curse” of us girls! I wish we could all just sprinkle a little “sparkling security dust” all over our insecure selves and then never have issues again!
xxxooo
Kristin
Nicole Q. - I just told a friend the other day that “confident” people still can be in a room FULL of people and feel LONELY!!! When the twins were little I really started to feel insecure when we’d go to basketball games or other big events. I HATED walking in!! Beth Moore is coming out with a book on insecurity real soon! I’m sure we’ll all be challenged by it.
linda lou - we all feel insecure at different times i still think my daughter thinks her mom is a dork!!(and she is 35yrs old.) and tomorrow is my birthday and i’ll be 62 so i don’t think it ever ends on our insecure feelings. but let the Lord guide you and you will be secure in yourself no matter what others think. blessing.
linda lou
andrea - no dear you are not…however i was delivered of this, by the Lord….pray for him to take it away from you, and he will
CherryTreeLane - You are not alone at all….
Sandra - What a blessing that it is finding your blog today. This is the first time I have had the pleasure to share with you and I feel touched. I am outwardly confidant and even come across as overly so. but underneath, I am the the 15 year old girl who ate lunch alone for two years. I don’t know if I will ever completely get past it…. I just pray, over and over and over again that I instill more SELF in my daughter.
Thanks for letting me share.
Heather - I love you even more now than I did before! I felt like I was reading my own words. I have been like that my entire life and I hate it. I even try and avoid social situations for this very reason. I have never been “cool” enough, pretty enough, rich enough, or have the right clothes, etc etc etc. (In my mind) I still wonder sometimes why my husband picked me!? He thinks I’m crazy. It’s horrible and I really wish I could change. I try and teach my kids confidence and they seem to have it! I, unfortunately, do not. In fact, I have to take my daughter to a salon tomorrow for her first haircut….it’s a trendy salon (you know- where “beautiful people” go) where a friend of ours works, and my stomach is in knots already. I dread even walking in the doors. Oh I’m already starting to sweat. 🙁
Blessings,
Heather:)
Dianne Avery - I feel the same way too!! I’m insecure even in front of life long friends. I had to make a toast in front of people that I knew my whole life and was a wreck. How crazy is that????
Jane - Funny you should post this. My friends daughter just turned 13 and naturally, she is embarrassed to be seen with her mom because she is “dorky.” Now, her mom is a totally rocker chick. Unbelievably cool. But, every woman can probably remember how paralyzing self conscious it is to be 13. While I have grown so much more confident since 13, there is still a little bit of that 13 year old in me. The first 5 minutes of a party for example. The day of/after a new haircut. If we all have an “inner child,” I think I also have an “inner teenager.”
Rachel / cREaTe - i agree with whoever it was that said it’s probably more social anxiety than insecurities. and that is totally me. i don’t like crowds, big public events & chaos. and i know this sounds weird, but especially if i can’t picture the event in my mind [if it’s all new] i have a hard time wanting to go. or i just don’t. my husband, however, is mr.personality&popularity. so as long as i’m right there as his arm candy [ha! that’s a joke] i’m good. 🙂 but he definitely thinks i’m ‘silly’ just like craig.
and about the other parents? being a navy wife for 7 years, we moved around a few times. i had to meet new people/parents all the time. it’s sooo HARD when you think everyone else already has their group. i just was always under that assumption which made me seem [& act] standoffish. well… towards the end of our navy life i realized friendly people always have room for more friends. but you have to show that you are welcome to the idea of a friendship!!!!!!!!! 🙂
anyway, as you said … it is what it is. 🙂 ha! it takes all sorts of fruit to make up a fruit salad! some days we’re the starfruit & some days we’re … the boring apple slice. 🙂 it’s all good.
Shannon - I feel the same way a lot of times in fact the worst thing in the world for me would have to be public speaking!
Jaimie - definitely not alone. we all wonder what others are thinking.
Meghan - I am so glad to see other feel the same way I do !! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Christina - Each person has something…I think we can take comfort for sure in knowing the love of the Lord and our families, and then in knowing that we are all a lot more like one another than we probably think.
Jackie - No, you are not alone. I will be attending a Beth Moore Conference in Woodstock GA in April on this very subject. I am looking forward to learning much. Jackie
melissa@afamiliarpath - how can everyone be looking at you when they’re staring at my big nose?
Amy at The Red Chair Blog - You are not alone. Have you ever read the book “The Highly Sensitive Person”? A good read.
Kristy Ledford - This post makes me love you even more Meg! I often feel the same way and it drives me crazy. I’m almost 40 and I don’t want to feel this way! When my daughter asks for my opinion on something, I often say, “what do you think? what you think is important!”. I want her to be confident and self-assured. People who seem to really embrace that “I don’t care what others think” attitude inspire me. But so do women who are honest, real, talented, role-model mothers who are willing to share their silly little voices! YOU ROCK!
Jenn N - Nope, not alone.
Chiot's Run - Perhaps not necessarily insecurity but you might be a bit of an introvert. Read the book “The Introvert Advantage” even you end up not being an introvert it will really help understand anyone in your life that is. If you are you’ll be incredible liberated realizing it and not feel guilty for not being as outgoing, engaging, talkative, comfortable in social situation as you feel like you should be.
Cori - I feel the same way so many times! I was going to say it helps to remember we’re all in this together but I realized I would be quoting High School Musical and that’s just crazy!( It may mean I need to get my anxious self out more!)
Heather - I struggle with this constantly. You are so NOT alone and it is a terrible feeling.
Nina - I think all of us at times feels that way. You really have no reason…you’re beautiful, you’re a great mom, and I think you’re probably lots of fun.
Jill - Nope, you’re not alone. We’re probably all just busy thinking about ourselves and our own failures; thinking that everyone else has it all together. For what it’s worth – I don’t have it all together! 🙂
Christin - Your not alone in that at all. Thank you for sharing, because I tend to think I’m all alone in being insecure, too.
Jess - WOW! Who knew there were SO many of us???
And the thing is, for me, it goes back as far as I can possibly remember.
Suzanne - ditto! I think it’s interesting that most of us feel this way, so when we’re in a room full of other people (women) they are probably thinking the same thing!
I’m trying to not worry and dwell on what I THINK others are thinking of me… truth is, I probably can’t change it! If I try to do my best and be my best daily… that’s really all I can control!
Thank you for your honest post!
Rachel - You too, eh? I think I warped my poor daughter because I could never make good friends with the other moms at elementary school. Hey, I had a full-time job; I didn’t have the luxury of coffee mornings and play dates so I was always the outsider.
I’m a teacher – I have no insecurities around my high school students, but put me in a room with other adults and I head for the nearest wall.
Thanks for sharing this. In some small way, you’ve made me (and obviously many others) feel ‘normal’.
Kim Mike - You are just Darling and no need to feel insecure.Hold your head high and just be you.It’s a Good thing.Be Happy!
ashley - You are so not alone. We all have those issues to some extent or another.
Andrea @ Big Creek Cottage - Meg, no you are not alone. I think that is why I enjoy visiting your blog….you are so open and giving and I know I am not alone…..plus…I love your dog. He makes me smile.
elizabeth - Me, too. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I’m not still in eighth grade with rose-tinted glasses, braces and curling iron wings in my hair. I have to remember that I’m forty-six, have given birth to three children and am raising those three children, one of whom has a severe disability. I mean, really — what does it take to not feel insecure?
Tracy - Add me to that growing list as well – I hate to walk into a crowded room and feel as if people are staring at me – even though I know they’re not – LOL Tell Craig you are NOT alone in that category – must be a woman think! HA!
Beth - You are totally not alone, I get social anxiety in a lot of instances… it’s no fun at all! p.s. your pictures are A-mazing!
Keri ~ ForeverFoldingLaundry - Um…no. You’re not alone at all in those feelings.
And don’t worry. They’re not looking at you. Unless they’re admiring your cute haircut. 🙂
You’re great. The end.
Shannon - You are not alone. Granted, I have never met you in person, but if who you are in person is who you are in your blog (and I think you are…) you are a beautifully and wonderfully made child of God who brings joy and happiness to others. I look forward to reading your posts because you are so real. Thank you for being a happy spot in MY life!
Jackie - Not alone at all!!!It’s funny, though, I am very insecure and always look at all the women around me and think I’m the only one feeling that way…and that’s not true at all – I think we all feel that way (at least at one time or other).
Andrea from Orlando - Join the club girl!
candace - me too, and it is getting worse the older I get! i told my husband several weeks ago that I wasn’t going to comment in Bible class any more because the feelings were so overwhelming. and I LOVE our Bible class! i just can’t help it. my heart starts racing, i get hot flashes, and my head starts hurting. sounds silly when i write it here, but it is the truth!
cute picture to go with this post!
Amber - You are SOO not alone! I feel insecure a lot too. Sometimes I can mask it with fake self confidence. Sometimes I actually do feel confident. But I think everyone has those moments.
Definitely good to know that I’m not alone!
And PLEASE don’t take this the wrong way, but it’s comforting to know that even wonderful, amazing women like you struggle too.
Becky @ Farmgirl Paints - I feel that way too sometimes. It used to be worse when I was younger, but I really don’t like being in front of people. I feel like they are all looking at me, and of course they’re not. It’s just hard to act normal, I get very self conscious and don’t know what to do with my hands or where to look. Good thing I’m not famous. I don’t know how they deal with that aspect of it!!
Brianna - Story of my life.
I know that feeling of insecurity, it’s a wretched place to live in. But, I have to agree with your husband. I think you’re great!
Brianna - I know you feel insecure and it’s a wretched place to be, but I agree with your husband. I think you’re so great!
Freckled Hen - It’s a nice thing to hear from you as I am an insecure mother of five, too.
Jen - oh me too. attention and compliments make me even more anxious! silly right? I think there are a lot of women who feel this way!
Brianna - Story of my life.
Yolanda - OMG! You just described me!
jeana - nope you’re not alone. not at all.
Sarah @ Dream In Domestic - I am the same exact way. I am twenty years old, but I don’t see myself growing out of it for a long time. It’s so annoying because I know it’s not rational but it’s hard not to. If you find a way to get over it, please share, because I’m sure many woman are suffering from it.
Nichole - You’ve got to be kidding!!! Whenever you snap pics of yourself and post them I always think how beautiful you are… I’d LOVE to have a big smile like yours!!! ( I have a teeny mouth :/ )
It stinks you feel that way right now. I think we all do at some point… or at several points, but little do we know, there’s always someone else looking at us (often our darling hubbies) who think how “just right” we are. We should start believing them!!! 🙂
Now, shake it off and go enjoy your 5 beautiful kiddos… they are half of you… and they are BEAUTIFUL!
Casey - Just know that you are not alone.
BriBedell - I can’t say that I have any problems with other people in social settings. I am a very outgoing, out spoken, person. I always like meeting new people. I am such a people watcher though..so I am probably making other people self-conscious!
Whitney - No you are definately not alone but with the Grace of God- you never will be!
Blessings to you,
Whitney
Wren - me too, me too. It’s so bad that if I’m in a store I’ll run to the section with mirrors or look at myself in the glass of the freezer section cause I just know people are staring cause I have something on my face or my hair is sticking straight up… sigh
N. - Maybe it’s less insecurity and more social anxiety. 😀
DreamGirlLisa - I totally get that, feel like that too. I wonder what it feels like to NOT feel that way???
Ruth - i am so self-conscious that project 365 is turning into a real test for me. even though my camera is really small, being the dork taking pictures when everyone else is just going about their business… well, i feel pretty silly. i have taken a fair amount of photos of random crap in the house as a result. i’m trying!!
Debra - Definitely not alone in that! I wonder, does it ever go away?
the inadvertent farmer - When I was younger that was certainly the case…but midway through my 40’s I have seem to ‘outgrown’ it. Or just don’t care anymore what people think…either way I am glad.
Thanks for sharing, Kim
Casey - Nope, definitely not alone in that. I feel that way every single day. It makes it very hard to go out often
Barbie - You are so not alone in that! It consumes me at times. I think I have inproved ‘a little bit’ but have so far to go. Thanks for your honesty.
Lori - Looks like you and I aren’t alone. I feel the same way. The worst is when I have to say something, and it never sounds as good once I say it, as it does in my head! Thanks for your honesty.
angela - Oh my, you are singing my song!
aubrey - Ooh, me too. I’m just like you in that department. It’s why I’m obsessed with making my hair (of all things) look good. My husband calls it vanity. Whatever. I’m really shy too–doesn’t help at all.
Ha–if I saw you, I would stare, working up the nerve to come be a dork and tell you how much I love reading your blog. 😉
Sara @ It's Good to be Queen - echoing the others, you are so not alone.
i do not like attention being drawn to myself at all. a few sundays ago at church i was walking across the back of the church…at that exact moment the pastor said, “Okay everyone turn your attention to the back where there is a table set up with such and such.” I swear every eye in the whole church was on me clip clopping in my heals across the back. I nearly died. i made eye contact with my friend and i could see she knew i was dying!! ugh! so all that to say, i hear you!
Holly - I think alot of us do! I am really a shy person but I try to hide it. Most people who do know me would not describe me as shy but I am what I am! It is worse around other parents.
Love your honesty Meg!
merlin - I have the opposite problem, I believe that no one sees me, that I am invisible. Equally not true, but a huge struggle for me to remember that people do in fact see me. And, sadly my belief reflects as rudeness, when the truth is that my heart is so sad thinking I can’t be seen.
Joyce - Completely with you there Megan,
I have leant over the years to just fake it…..at least it makes things look easier on the surface
mandy - i’m always inspired by your honesty! i think everyone is insecure… my insecurities make me feel trapped so often… i am in the process of writing a book about finding my identity b/c i believe that is why i and many others suffer from insecurity… we don’t know (or maybe it is that we don’t like) who God created us to be. anyhow… i’m on the journey to break free from my insecurities!
Becca Parker - Me too, there’s that niggling little voice that says you’re not good enough. Stupid little voice!
Misty Perryman - My husband feels just like this….I am still in the process of understanding. I have never commented but I think you are fabulous!
Misty
Helen Wall - Oh yes, I feel insecure. The worst is if I have to be in front of church when there are men present. Shudder!
Emily@remodelingthislife - You are so NOT alone. I am the same way but then I remember that saying “you wouldn’t care so much what others think of you unless you realized how little they do”, or something like that. But still, it’s there.
Wendi - Same here, all my life. I’ve learned what helps me is to learn more about how God sees me and focus on that. You are beautiful, fun, and great at what you do but what really matters is between you and God.
Aimee - Me too! I feel the exact same way in all the same situations.
Melanie - You are NOT alone. We all have something that we are insecure about.
Heather Giustino - SO not alone in that. I feel insecure all the time. Especially meeting new people. When I was in Southern California for our Project 320 weekend I felt totally insecure. I feel like I can be fun and “talk big” over the internet, but real life is a different story!
Lisa - I feel insecure at school things too…I always feel like all the other parents know each other and we are the outsiders. Even though it’s not true!
Lee Ann - Oh no! You are NOT alone!
I don’t care if people are looking at me, so much as I KNOW something stupid is going to come out of my mouth!
Jennifer - You’re not alone of course….but you are beautiful, talented and a wonderful mother.
Julie - you’re not alone at all…crowds make me nervous…
thanks for sharing…you are awesome.
Georgia - Me too. I always get paranoid people are looking at me…
(as if i would be that interesting! lol)