 Hi everyone, before we begin this video we'd like to give a big thank you for your love and support. Here at Psych2Go our mission is to make psychology and mental health more accessible to everyone. Do you feel like no matter what you do, or where you go, there's an unexplained feeling within you that you're not good enough and a total failure at everything? Even when you've achieved something, or are given love and affection, you can't help but brush it off because of the self-loathing voice within you that tells you who do you think you are. You're nobody. Do you think all this could be because you hate yourself? If so, here are seven common reasons why you might feel that way. 1. You had a bad childhood. Growing up in a toxic home environment and living with a dysfunctional family can be extremely damaging to a person's mental health and self-esteem. Usually, toxic families are either too strict and controlling or indifferent and neglectful. As young children, we can't help but think that the reason behind this is our faults and everything our parents do are right. We look up to them. We grow up wanting their love, attention, respect, and approval. And the more it's denied, the more we desire it. Want to know more? We can watch our video titled, 8 Ways Your Childhood Affects Your Lifestyle. 2. You had a rough time at school. Were you ever bullied by anyone? Do you struggle to fit in and make friends? People crises like these can cultivate feelings of shame, self-doubt, and self-hatred. You'll start to ask yourself, why is this happening to me and why don't people like me? Is there something wrong with me? 3. You struggle with past trauma. Is there a specific incident in your past that caused you to feel this way? It doesn't necessarily have to be from childhood. Maybe it was the absenteeism of a parent, a nasty breakup, the death of a loved one, or an abusive relationship. People tend to define themselves based on their experiences in life. When something terrible happens to you, it's hard not to feel as if you deserve it. Thus, the trauma of your negative past experiences can manifest as denial, defeat, or self-hatred. 4. You feel disconnected. This reason is much more philosophical than the rest, but it takes its roots from existential psychology. One of the pioneers of this field, Ralo Riesme, believed that self-hatred is what happens when we become too egocentric and focused on ourselves. It leads to a feeling of disconnect between us, others, and the world. This leads to feelings of unexplained loneliness, emptiness, and meaninglessness. When we think too much about everything only from our point of view and fail to realize our place in the universe, we deny ourselves the opportunity to fulfilling our greatest potential and thus unknowingly hate ourselves for it. 5. You don't have social support. Based on a study by Clemen and Liu in 2013, social support has been shown to be a very important protective factor against trauma and depression. So, when you have no one in your life who you can count on to be there for you in times of distress and emotional need, it further reinforces your feelings of self-loathing. From family to friends to colleagues, a lack of meaningful intimate relationships in your life can make it harder for you to feel loved, cared for, and accepted. 6. You're always comparing yourself to others. Do you find yourself comparing yourself to other people and competing with them to be better? It's emotionally exhausting. The unhealthy need to feel superior to others and setting unrealistically high expectations for ourselves only makes us feel worse about ourselves when we fail to measure up to them. In fact, research has found that more social media exposure often results in symptoms of depression, loneliness, and anxiety. While detoxifying and disconnecting from it for a short while has been proven to improve our happiness and peace of mind. 7. You have a negative self-concept. Finally, and most importantly, the reason why you hate yourself could be because of your negative self-concept. According to Arby Burns, an author of the self-concept in theory, measurement, development, and behavior, self-concept is defined as a person's view of themselves that's based on their values, principles, experiences, and relationships. When you choose to define yourself according to the bad things in your life, be it traumatic experience, dysfunctional family, or mistreatment at school, you're internalizing all the negativity and convincing yourself that you're a terrible person. In focusing solely on the ugly parts of your life, you discount all the good things about you and all the wonderful things in your life. You're allowing all of those horrible things to have power over you and dictate how you feel about yourself. Does this sound familiar? There's no quick fix to overcoming your self-hatred, especially if you've been struggling with it for a long time now. Feelings of insecurity don't just disappear overnight, but the good news is that we don't have to resign ourselves to such a miserable fate because with time, hard work, and dedication, it gets better. The first step to the road to recovery is to understand the reason why you hate yourself and to come to terms with it. Do you relate to any of these points explained in the video? What other reasons did we miss out on? Let us know in the comments below. Also, don't forget to share this video with someone who might benefit from it. Like this video and subscribe for more psychology content. As always, thanks for watching.