Let’s Talk About It: When You Start Thinking Something Is Wrong With You

Nothing is wrong with you.

Let’s talk about something I think a lot of young girls experience but may not always say out loud.

Why don’t they like me?

Why is it so easy for everyone else to make friends?

Why don’t I have the friendships I see other girls having?

And eventually, that question can become:

What’s wrong with me?

The teenage years can be hard enough when you’re still trying to figure out who you are. Add friendships, social media, wanting to fit in, and wanting to feel chosen—and it can be easy to start measuring your worth by how other people treat you.

You may find yourself chasing friendships. Trying harder to be included. Changing little things about yourself. Pretending to like things you don’t. Doing whatever you can to make sure people like you.

And somewhere along the way, you can start losing you.

I know because I’ve been there.

It took me years to understand something I wish every young girl could understand much sooner:

You do not have to change who you are to be worthy of friendship.

Not everyone is going to connect with you, and that’s okay.

Your priorities may be different. You may be in different places in life. You may love differently, think differently or care about different things.

Sometimes friendships simply don’t work out. And sometimes I truly believe God removes people from our lives who are not meant to go where He is taking us.

That doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you.

So please don’t chase people so hard that you lose yourself trying to catch them.

Be kind. Love deeply. Be a good friend. But also know your worth.

One day, you may realize that the acceptance you were chasing from everyone else was something you first needed to give yourself.

You were already enough.

Okay, your turn.

Let’s talk about it.

Have you ever felt like you needed to change something about yourself just to fit in? What would you tell another girl who is wondering, “Why don’t they like me?”