Are you one to harbor your insecurities? Do you doubt your worth?

You are not alone.

Did you really think you are the first person to cry after struggling to zip your pants? Or the only one to reflect your self-worth examining every minuscule flaw in a mirror? Do you constantly compare your appearance and life to an idyllic female on your social media accounts?

Trust me, we all drown ourselves in insecurities. Some people just hide it better than others.

Insecurity comes from a long line of low self-esteem, which is why we seek such validation. It is our security.

Think of it like this: you post a picture on Instagram after an emotional and tedious day at school/or work. After receiving a countless number of likes, you immediately get a high. Nevertheless, a compliment on your Rebecca Minkoff purchase uplifts your esteem. Compliments, likes, comments, etc., help reassure your value. This compulsive need for approval, whether from family, friends, or an unknown, tends to consume our everyday lives.

If we ever doubt our worth and question our significance to others, we seek approval by hiding behind our comments and posts on social media. This immediate longing for approval, however, is nothing new.

Throughout childhood, a smile or head nod from our parents was construed as a mark of approval. We constantly would try to satisfy them in return of affection and validation. Through our pre-teen years, we wore what everyone else wore. We said what we thought others wanted to hear. It was the social pressure from our peers to do so. We've spent our entire lives people pleasing others, rather than ourselves.

Why do we allow our insecurities dictate the person we are and what we can and cannot do?

We fear criticism and we fear rejection. In spite, we yearn for acceptance.

It's time to accept our imperfections. Comparing ourselves to others is an endless game we will never win. There will always be someone prettier, wealthier, smarter. We need to stop reflecting our worth on what others say about us, because the constant anxiety will paralyze us all. Once we escape the illusion that everyone judges us, we can stop living others' lives, and start living our own.