Stoic Coffee Break

“A person’s worth is measured by the worth of what they value.”― Marcus AureliusThe other day I was talking with someone close to me who said that they often felt extremely anxious in social settings, at work, or even video chatting with people online. I asked them why, and they said, “Because I’m afraid I’ll say the wrong thing and they’ll get mad at me.” I mentioned the usual things like, “It’s not your place to try and control what other people think and feel. To try to do so is just manipulation”, and “How they feel is not your problem to deal with, it is theirs”. And while these things are true, I didn’t feel like I got to the root of the issue.In thinking about it over the last few days, I think it comes down to one thing - they do not value themselves. They do not feel “good enough”, that they are not worthy. I know that a lot of us struggle with this, but I want to tell you this - you are of value. You are worthy. Why do I know that? Because you are a human being, and every human being is worthy becau