How to Cope With Not Receiving Recognition

While recognition-seeking is a basic need that can come with benefits, such as motivating people to persist in the pursuit of goals, needing recognition can lead to psychological problems, as evidenced by the anxiety and depression experienced by some celebrities and social media influencers due to the constant pressure to provide fresh and popular content.

After you recognize it, the following strategies might be helpful as well:

1. Be in Competition Only With Yourself: While it is impossible to live in a vacuum where you never compare yourself to others, you can make a conscious effort to focus on thinking about how you have improved over time. For instance, if you are feeling down because your friend runs a food pantry and you have volunteered there on only one occasion, focusing on the fact that you are volunteering more than you did in the past will give you a greater sense of meaning in your accomplishment.
2. Choose Who You Seek Recognition From: One exercise I do with my clients is to ask them to imagine a favorite celebrity. I then ask them to imagine asking all of their peers (classmates, coworkers, etc.) what they think of that same celebrity. Would every person like them as much as you do? Inevitably, even the most famous people will have their critics. A major reason for this is the diversity of humankind. Picasso is not everyone's cup of chai because not everyone appreciates abstract art, not because Picasso wasn't a great artist.
3. Remember the Power of One: Reflect on one person who had an appreciable impact on your life in a positive way. This could be a parent, teacher, partner, friend, writer, podcast host, celebrity, or historical figure. Then, imagine having a positive impact on just one person, and that person regarding you in a way that is similar to how you think and feel about the person who impacted you. Use this to remember that there is great meaning and value in positively impacting just one person's life. Once again, you don't have to win 'em all.
4. Give Others Recognition: Recognizing others not only helps the people who are being recognized, but it also might help you feel good about performing an act of kindness. Recognizing others’ work is also a form of giving to the public, who can benefit from the work.

Read the complete article available at Psychology Today!

Reflection:

Do you receive adequate recognition?

#Recognition #Self-worth #Coping