Stress can affect your entire self. It convinces you that you are not good enough or deficient. An individual that feels stressed will often have a desire to control. This is not motivated by a drive for power but rather a drive for predictability and safety. Most of all one wants respect. One may often belittle oneself .

In times of stress , one may be temporarily inclined to relieve one's anxiety or depression by using chemical substances. Even individuals under a doctor's care may become dependent. There are others that turn to chemical substances to experiment with the feelings they produce. Often this is found as a response to peer pressure. This has a tendency of being very strong. Regardless of why one turns to chemical substances, one needs to know that dependency and abuse has a tendency of following one and that makes the stakes even higher.

Although a substance can relieve symptoms temporarily, the cause of the problem will still exist. If let undetected or undetermined , one may experience physical or emotional problems. If one let's these undiagnosed an untreated problems continue , they may balloon into more complex problems. This will naturally worsen by the abuse of the chemical substances.

Changing one's behavior that has become a habit hard to handle. It takes a great deal of encouragement and patience to help one regain confidence after so long. Learning to find oneself requires one to take a close look at who and what one really is. When assessing oneself , one's individual presence may come into mind first. This has a tendency of comprising both the physical self and one's self image.

Another dimension of oneself maybe seeing oneself in process. This deals with the ongoing process inside oneself with constant changes and adjustments in one's life. All humans have an ideal self. This is what one pictures oneself to be.

Humans are complex beings that are capable of doing just about anything one desires. Unfortunately, many humans never come close to realizing one's true potential. This may be partly due to one never having to look at oneself squarely. Often it is very hard and difficult , even unpleasant to be honest with oneself.

The best way for one to truly assess oneself is to make a list of one's strengths and weaknesses. This will help point out one abilities and qualities and help in identifying area one needs to change. Each year on one's birthday, one should revaluate oneself. Getting to know oneself will help one to become a more complete person and will help one in relating to others more effectively.

Don't let stress deprive you of knowing yourself.