I SUFFER FROM ANXIETY & LOW SELF-ESTEEM. All I want is to love and be loved.

Summary

The transcript is a heartfelt message addressing the struggles of anxiety and self-worth in a young adult's life. It warns of the vulnerability to abuse due to low self-esteem and the societal pressures to conform. The speaker emphasizes the importance of authentic love and self-acceptance, as per Christ's teachings, and the danger of seeking validation from social media and the world's distorted perceptions. The core message is that true love and self-worth come from being genuine and allowing Christ's love to shape one's identity, rather than the world's superficial standards.

Takeaways

• 😔 The speaker expresses deep anxiety and a fear of not being good enough, which affects their emotional well-being.
• 🤔 They worry about how they are perceived by others and feel their self-worth is heavily dependent on external validation.
• 💔 The fear of not being loved or worthy of love is a significant source of distress for the speaker.
• ⚠️ The message warns of the vulnerability that comes from low self-esteem and the potential for abuse in various forms.
• 👣 The advice given is to stand on one's own and move forward independently, both spiritually and mentally.
• 📊 The speaker criticizes the tendency of young adults to compare themselves to the curated realities presented on social media.
• 💌 Love, by its nature, is transformative, but one should not change their core self to be loved; true love accepts and reshapes you as you are.
• 🔥 The speaker's greatest fear is living a life that is not true to themselves, shaped by the world's expectations rather than their own identity.
• 🙏 The importance of allowing Christ's love to shape one's identity is emphasized, as it leads to becoming more authentically oneself.
• 🌟 The speaker asserts that everyone is inherently worthy of love simply by virtue of being created by God.
• 🙌 The speaker encourages embracing the cross and allowing spiritual strength to guide personal growth and transformation.

Q & A

What is the main concern expressed by the person in the transcript?

The person expresses a deep struggle with anxiety and a constant worry about how they are perceived by others, which heavily affects their self-image and emotional well-being.

Why does the person feel they are not good enough?

The person's feeling of inadequacy stems from a fear of not being worthy of love and a belief that they will never be truly loved due to their perceived shortcomings.

What does the person believe is central to Christ's teachings?

The person believes that love is at the center of Christ's teachings and that their worries are rooted in the possibility of not being deserving of such love.

What warning does the responder give to the person about their current state?

The responder warns that the person is currently at risk of being abused due to their low self-image and the need to please others, which makes them vulnerable to physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual abuse.

Why does the responder emphasize the importance of standing on one's own two feet?

The responder emphasizes this to encourage the person to develop self-reliance and self-worth, which is crucial for avoiding abuse and for personal growth.

What societal factors contribute to the person's anxiety according to the responder?

The responder points out that the younger generation's need to constantly advertise themselves and measure up to unrealistic standards set by social media contributes to their anxiety.

How does the responder define love and its role in personal change?

The responder defines love as a transformative force that changes individuals by helping them let go of inauthentic aspects and discover their true selves, rather than forcing them to become someone else to be loved.

What is the 'image of hell' described by the responder?

The 'image of hell' is described as living a life that is not true to oneself, being loved without being one's true self, and dying without having experienced genuine love or lived authentically.

What does the responder suggest as the antidote to the world's influence on personal identity?

The responder suggests reflecting the values of Christ and allowing oneself to be shaped by Christ's love, which encourages authenticity and the discovery of one's true self.

Why does the responder believe everyone is worthy of love simply by virtue of being created by God?

The responder believes in the inherent worth of every individual because God creates out of love, implying that every creation is an act of love and therefore deserving of love.

What does the responder hope for the person in terms of their spiritual journey?

The responder hopes that the person will allow Christ to shape them, become the person God created them to be, and through their transformed life, contribute to the salvation of the world through prayer and example.

Outlines

00:00

😔 Struggling with Anxiety and Self-Worth

The speaker begins by expressing their lifelong struggle with anxiety, which has intensified in young adulthood. They are deeply concerned with how others perceive them, and their self-image is heavily influenced by this perception. The fear of not being good enough leads to feelings of despair. The speaker yearns for love and acceptance, which they believe are central to Christ's teachings, but their worries stem from a fear of not being worthy of love. The response to this concern is a warning about the vulnerability that comes with a low self-image and the potential for abuse, both physical and emotional. The speaker advises being cautious and learning to stand on one's own before seeking love, emphasizing the importance of self-worth and independence.

05:00

💔 The Dangers of Conditional Love and Authenticity

This paragraph delves into the concept of love and its transformative power. The speaker argues that love should not require one to change their essence to be worthy of it. Instead, true love should accept and cherish one for who they are. The speaker fears living a life that is not authentic, warning that pretending to be someone else for the sake of love can lead to a life devoid of genuine connection and fulfillment. They emphasize the importance of allowing Christ's love to shape one's identity, rather than the world's expectations, which can lead to a loss of self and a hollow existence.

10:02

🙏 Embracing Divine Love and Becoming One's True Self

In the final paragraph, the speaker reassures the recipient of their inherent worthiness of love, simply by virtue of being a creation of God. They argue that all personal flaws and weaknesses are irrelevant in the face of divine love. The speaker encourages embracing the reality of Christ and allowing the cross to shape one's life, rather than running away from it. They express a personal connection to the recipient, seeing a reflection of their own potential journey, and offer prayers for their safety and growth into the person God intended them to be. The speaker concludes with a prayer for the recipient's transformation into a saint, through the grace of God's love.

Keywords

💡Anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe. In the context of the video, the speaker describes experiencing anxiety for most of their life, which negatively impacts their emotional well-being. The script mentions that anxiety leads to constant worrying about others' perceptions and feelings of inadequacy.

💡Self-image

Self-image refers to the mental representation of oneself, including how one perceives their personal qualities and characteristics. The script discusses the individual's self-image being heavily influenced by how they believe they are perceived by others, which contributes to their anxiety and feelings of unworthiness.

💡Worthiness

Worthiness is the state of being deserving or having value. The video script touches on the fear of not being worthy of love, stemming from the individual's low self-image and anxiety. The speaker emphasizes that everyone is inherently worthy of love because they are created by God.

💡Love

Love, in the script, is presented as a central theme and a transformative force. It is described as being at the core of Christ's teachings and is the ultimate desire of the individual. The speaker discusses the misconception that one must change to be loved and the importance of being loved for who one truly is.

💡Authenticity

Authenticity is the quality of being genuine or true to oneself. The video emphasizes the importance of not changing who you are to be loved but instead being loved for your authentic self. The speaker warns against the dangers of pretending to be someone else to gain love and acceptance.

💡Abuse

Abuse, in this context, refers to the misuse or mistreatment of a person, which can be physical, emotional, or spiritual. The script warns that the individual's low self-image and desire to please others make them vulnerable to various forms of abuse, highlighting the need for self-protection.

💡Social Media

Social media is a term used to describe the online platforms that allow users to create and share content or participate in social networking. The speaker criticizes the impact of social media on self-image, as it encourages people to compare themselves to the curated and often exaggerated portrayals of others' lives.

💡Christ's Teachings

Christ's teachings refer to the moral and spiritual lessons attributed to Jesus Christ. The script positions love as central to these teachings and contrasts the transformative power of divine love with the superficiality of worldly affections.

💡Virtues

Virtues are moral or ethical qualities considered to be inherently good and worthy of regard. The speaker mentions virtues as the authentic qualities that make up one's true self, which should be discovered and nurtured rather than suppressed for the sake of pleasing others.

💡Transformation

Transformation refers to a profound change in form, appearance, or character. The video discusses how love, particularly Christ's love, can lead to a positive transformation, guiding individuals towards becoming their true selves, as opposed to the world's influence, which can lead to a loss of identity.

💡Unfinished Beings

The concept of being 'unfinished' suggests that individuals are in a state of continuous development or growth. The speaker uses this term to describe humans as beings that are still being shaped by God, emphasizing the importance of allowing divine values to guide this shaping process rather than worldly influences.

Highlights

The speaker shares their personal struggle with anxiety and how it affects their emotional well-being and self-image.

The speaker expresses their desire to love and be loved, and their fear of not being worthy of love due to their worries and anxieties.

The speaker warns the recipient that their current state of low self-esteem and need to please others makes them vulnerable to various forms of abuse.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of standing on one's own and moving forward independently to avoid being taken advantage of.

The speaker discusses how social media and societal pressures can lead to unhealthy comparisons and contribute to anxiety and depression.

The speaker explains that love should not require one to change who they are fundamentally, but should instead accept and love them as they are.

The speaker argues that trying to be someone else to gain love is ultimately unfulfilling and leads to a life not truly lived.

The speaker shares their greatest fear of living a life that is not authentically their own and the importance of staying true to oneself.

The speaker emphasizes that being loved by God is a fundamental truth that is not dependent on one's flaws or shortcomings.

The speaker encourages the recipient to allow Christ's love to shape them and guide them towards becoming the person they were meant to be.

The speaker warns against the dangers of letting the world's values and superficial standards shape one's identity and self-worth.

The speaker shares their personal journey of accepting God's love and becoming more authentically themselves as a result.

The speaker discusses the transformative power of Christ's love and how it can help one become more aligned with their true self.

The speaker offers prayers and blessings for the recipient, expressing their hope for the recipient's growth and spiritual journey.

The speaker concludes by emphasizing the importance of being a blessing to others and the world through one's authentic self and prayers.

Transcripts

dear father sort of him

I have been Afflicted with anxiety for

the large majority of my life

and as a young adult I find its grip

know to be stronger than ever on my

emotional well-being

I find myself constantly worrying about

what others think of me and my

self-image is so heavily dependent on

how I believe myself to be perceived in

the eyes of others

I constantly worry that I am not good

enough

and these thoughts cause me to retreat

into despair

above all

I want to love and be loved

it seems to me that love is at the

center of Christ's teachings and my

worries stem from the possibility that I

am not worthy of being loved

or will never be truly loved

and are these ideas

terrify me to no end

oh dear seraphim

I've chosen to respond to this message

to this email actually of yours

because there are two things in here

that speak very closely to my own heart

um first of all I need to say this

from from this email and given your age

you need to be very very careful with

this passion and you need to be very

careful at this particular time in your

life because my dear one you are you are

perfectly ripe for abuse right now

with this low image and this need to

please others this

unhealthy ability that you've developed

to reflect

the reality around you and to accept it

as who you are this makes you ripe for

abuse not only physical abuse but also

emotional mental abuse and even

spiritual abuse

until you stand on your own two feet or

at least until you begin to slowly move

forward on your own two feet and by that

I mean being who you are to the degree

to which it is possible to all of us

until a van abuse is always always a

possibility and a lot of our sins and a

lot of our weaknesses and Falls come in

fact from the abuse of others which

sometimes is visible

and other times it's not

be very careful and guard yourself at

this stage in your life until you see

that you can move forward on your own

two feet

spiritually speaking mentally as well

there is this

need of yours to reflect what is around

you in order to be loved my self-image

you say is so heavily dependent on how I

believe myself to be perceived in the

eyes of others

and this is a very very common in your

generation you say you are a young adult

very young people and young adults

I suppose because of the society that we

the older generation have built for you

you have this need to constantly

advertise who you are and you constantly

measure yourselves against realities

that have nothing to do with reality

with a capital r

you measure yourselves against what

others advertise in turn

you see when you look at someone's

Social Media or when you read about the

life of someone else those people are

only going to put forward and advertise

the the good aspects of their lives and

even those good aspects of their lives

they are going to be

exponentially increased nobody's going

to post about their sadnesses or

weaknesses and even when they do that

there's a touch of Pride there's a touch

of um

falseness in there

we are aware of the best part of their

lives and even that polished and

increased but when it comes to our own

realities we are aware of our deepest

lowest selves

and our deepest lowest moments and then

this constant comparison creates anxiety

creates tension and as you say

depression and despair

love

changes

by definition Love Changes but you do

not change yourself prior to being loved

you don't become someone

else than who you are in order for a

certain person to love you

you love that person as you are and if

by the grace of God that person loves

you back then this Mutual

becoming this Oneness that God creates

that love creates this Oneness will in

turn reshape you and change you you

don't become someone you're not in order

to be loved because even if then you

think you experience love who is that

person who is loved because it's not

truly you is it

if you are a certain way and you you

mimic being someone else and then

someone falls in love with you or you

find love in a community even in a

monastic Community if you pretend to be

someone you're not

who are those people loving and is that

love truly yours does it truly belong to

you does it truly touch you in in the

core of your being

the answer will always be no and sooner

or later you'll feel that

and for me dear sir of him this is the

image of hell

I've said this before many times my my

greatest fear is to go through life as

someone I'm not

my greatest fear is to end up on my

deathbed

having lived a life that was not truly

my own having loved with a love that was

never my own having Been Loved by people

without their love truly touching me

because I was never who I truly am

before them and even dying a death

that is not my own

the image of hell for me is to be on the

death bed dying of death and

contemplating a life that are not my own

because I have allowed fear and anxiety

and the need to please the world to

shape me

we are by definition unfinished beings

We Are all uh like a big fetus each and

every one of us we are a fetus in the

womb of this world being shaped being

slowly created still by God

and we should reflect the values of

Christ the values of true love in order

for us to be shaped

if we reflect the world we shall forever

be dependent on the world and we become

like the world

if we reflect the world we become

world-like and who we become disappears

dies off and becomes dust with the world

but if you allow Christ to shape you if

you allow His Image to be reflected on

you then you become christ-like

and you shall survive the death of

everything that is temporary and

transient

you become Christ like a holy man a

saint

all love changes

even loving Christ will change you but

the difference between Christ loving you

and pushing you to change

and the world loving you and pushing you

to change is that Christ is pushing you

to let go of the things that are not

authentically yours

and to discovering yourself the seeds of

those values and virtues that make you

who you truly are

Christ's love will push you to change in

the direction of you becoming who you've

always been in his eyes his love will

push you in the direction of changing

towards becoming the saint he created

you to be

the love of the world if you allow that

to shape you will push you into you

becoming like the world

and that's not something I wish for

anyone

including myself

my dear dear dear seraphim you are

worthy of love

simply because God created you I don't

need to know more than that I need to

know that you are real

and beyond that all your sins all your

weaknesses all your inabilities uh to to

be who you think you should be are

completely irrelevant

if God Made You God loved you loves you

and will forever love you

because God creates out of love you

could not have been created otherwise

I'm I'm not certain whether or not you

are Orthodox but in a way it's

irrelevant

if you were Orthodox you would have

known this better but

even without being Orthodox know at

least from me you don't have to be

Orthodox You Are a Human Being you live

you you breathe God gave you breath God

created you and since God can only

create out of love

that means that you are worthy of love

and you are worthy of his eternal love

not this transient

dust made love of the world

reflect the realities of Christ

don't run away from the cross allow the

cross to shape you not running away from

the cross to shape you allow the

strength the the spiritual strength of

the Cross to become the element that

shapes you that shows you who you should

become not a spiritual fear and

cowardice

I pray for you and I will pray for you

by your real name not by seraphim

because I see in you on a version of

myself someone I could have become had I

not been given this Grace at one point

in my life to Simply

madly accept God's love and follow it

regardless of what that did to my social

life in my late teens and early twenties

and I've learned by experience that the

more

I love Christ the more I become someone

I somehow felt was real

a lot more real if you can say that in

an existential Deep Way than who I was

before not as popular as before but

somehow the closer I got to Christ the

less relevant popularity in the world

became

I shall pray for you both so that you

are safe from abuse these ears while you

learn to move forward but also so that

you become that man whom God created you

to be so that you become that Saint whom

God created you out of his love to be

because if you get to be that Saint and

you get to pray for me and for this

community and for the world then the

World At Large through your prayer has a

better chance of being saved my dear sir

of him

be blessed everyone be blessed to the

core of your being

amen amen

amen