Exercise And Vulnerability Essay

To begin with, I am the most vulnerable when I exercise in front of others, receive constructive criticism, and being rejected. I feel vulnerable when I exercise in front of others because I believe that people are criticizing me for being overweight. It is embarrassing when I am not able to match the pace of everyone else around me. In my mind, people are laughing at me because I cannot do something as simple as three push-ups. I am afraid to exercise in public because I am forced to look at myself in what seems to be a million mirrors. I do not like the way my body looks in its current state and I do not want to look at myself until I lose weight. Furthermore, with so many negative thoughts in my mind I began to deal with stress on a daily

I feel vulnerable because someone could potentially say something that may hurt my feelings. I’ve been criticized my entire life, so if someone says something that is negative it lowers my self-esteem in a sense. I try extremely hard to do things that will make a difference in this world and it feels like I won’t ever improve or become better at anything. When someone constantly tells me that I’m not exceling in a certain area, whether it’s at home, college, or work I usually get depressed and feel like I’m a failure. I am putting my self-esteem at risk each time I give someone the opportunity to provide constructive criticism. Constructive criticism is supposed to be beneficial but, I believe that it is a form of bullying. During previous experiences, I have been told that something is wrong with me and I need to change it or people will never accept me for who I truly am and it hurts each time I get ridiculed about anything. However, in order to overcome my issue with constructive criticism, I have to realize that it will help me become a better person. I have to process the fact that everyone is not verbally assaulting me by giving me advice. I cannot allow past interactions to affect my future and cause unnecessary stress. Moreover, I now realize that constructive criticism is a beneficial tool that will help me with my personal life as well as my