Question : I am a physically challenged girl, who are having a tough time in gaining confidence in life. I lost my leg due to an accident few years ago and now I feel an odd one out in the crowd and feel bad. Teentalker
Hello Teentalker,
Thanks for writing to us. I really feel sorry for your accident.
But, trust me this can happen to anyone. One added challenge for a person with a disability may be viewing him or herself as a person first. A disability is only one facet of a person. Another issue for people with disabilities may be dealing with discrimination and stereotypes from society.
Our society places emphasis on looks, speed, and being the same as everyone else. Thus, people with disabilities might place additional pressure on themselves to try to meet society’s impossible standards. Lack of confidence does not necessarily equal lack of ability. It may just be a false set of beliefs that a person holds about him or herself. To tackle this:
1. Focus on your abilities more than your limitations. Everyone has both abilities and limitations.
2. Set realistic goals for yourself. This may mean allowing yourself to take the extra time needed to read material and rewarding yourself for persevering.
3. Appreciate yourself means appreciate your disability too. One way to do this is making a list of your strengths including how your disability, or your methods of coping with it, can be an asset.
4. Do not overgeneralise. If there is something that you cannot do as a result of your disability, it is not fair to conclude that you are an overall failure. Don’t tie all of your self-worth to any one attribute or event.
Hope this helps, if you still have a query, do connect online for chat between 11am-8pm or drop us an offline message.
Regards,
Expert Teentalk India