April 11, 2025 • 10 mins
you are enough. as you are, right here, right now. even if your mental health is suffering, you are enough. you don't have to change or improve to be valid as a person.
in today's episode of Feel Your Feelings with Ethan Jewell, we will discuss how you are doing just fine - regardless of how you may struggle. we'll discuss the danger of not believing you're enough, how this can become a trap, and how we can get out of that trap.
thank you for feeling your feelings with me.
Website: www.ethanjewell.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
You are enough. Yes, you.
You are enough right now as you are.
And I know this phrase is often thrown around.
It's kind of in that same category as other useless mental
health phrases like oh, just smile, be positive.
You are enough. But this one has a little bit of
truth to it. I don't mean it just as some
(00:22):
soulless kind of empty encouragement that won't
actually do anything. I mean that you are enough as
you are, regardless of the feelings that you struggle with,
regardless of the mental health issues that you have, you're
enough as you are. This kind of shameless self
acceptance is so important in our mental health journeys.
(00:43):
So I want to talk about it today.
My name is Ethan Jewell and welcome back to Feel Your
Feelings. I remember when I was in my
deepest, darkest struggle with my mental health, I would hear
these little phrases like you are enough, and I would roll my
eyes. I would go, What are you talking
(01:04):
about? Of course I'm not enough.
Look at this struggle. Look at this.
I couldn't get out of bed this morning and I cried five times
yesterday. Of course I'm not enough.
I'm not getting enough done. But that's the problem.
I wasn't just accepting myself how I was.
I was thinking that I needed to prove my existence.
I literally needed to prove to both the world and to myself
(01:28):
that I was allowed to just exist.
And that is a dangerous trap. So if you have struggled with
with this, you're in the right place.
Thank you so much for joining meto feel your feelings.
So 1st I want to talk about a common lie that we tell
ourselves whenever we're struggling with this lack of
self acceptance. Whenever we're struggling with
(01:50):
the feeling of not being enough.And the lie is I'll be enough.
When that when is so dangerous because it tells you that right
now there's something wrong withyou.
There's something that needs to be fixed in order for you to
exist as a person, and that's just not true.
(02:12):
You know, we say I'll be enough when I get this promotion.
Or maybe just on a more basic level, I'll be enough when I get
happy. I'll be enough when I stop
struggling. And the truth is, the struggle
may always be there. You know, I don't think there's
going to be a world where I don't struggle with bouts of
depression. But I know that that doesn't
(02:32):
change my worth as a person. I can be depressed and still be
worthy. I can be depressed and still be
enough. I can have bad days and still
love myself and that is such an important thing to remember.
It's never all be enough when it's I am enough.
(02:53):
And I will also push myself to achieve these things because I I
accept myself and I love myself enough to try to get better.
Don't improve out of guilt. Don't try to improve out of some
invisible, you know, set of requirements to be enough.
You are enough. You just have to believe it.
(03:13):
We are all enough. You have to change your mindset.
Worth is not conditional. There's no conditions.
There's no terms and conditions that you need to read through
and agree to in order to be enough in order to accept
yourself. See, the reality is there is no
conditions your, your struggles.They don't define your worth.
(03:36):
You know, when you struggle withyour mental health, you don't
become less valuable. You know, a lot of people think,
oh, I'm broken. You know, they think of it
almost like an object. Oh, I'm, I'm broken.
You know, I broke this object. Now it's worth less.
That's just not the case. We are deep and complicated
emotional creatures that are supposed to sometimes feel bad.
(03:59):
You know a good day will just bea day if you only experience
happiness, and a helping hand will just be a hand if you only
experience happiness. So without these struggles, you
are not a full person. In order to be a person, you
have to struggle sometimes and it sucks.
(04:21):
I wish I could say that we couldjust all be happy all the time,
but we have to struggle, and those struggles do not define
your worth. A cloudy sky does not mean that
the sun is gone. When you look up at the sky and
you see clouds, you don't think,Oh my God, the sun exploded and
there's never going to be daylight ever again.
No, you think, oh, there's a cloud covering the sun, it'll
(04:44):
pass. So why don't you think of your
mental health the same way? You know when you're struggling,
when you have a cloud over your head, when you have a a hard
cloudy day? Why don't you think, oh, I'm
having a difficult day? This too will pass.
And it doesn't define you. It doesn't define you as being
(05:05):
stuck in darkness forever. It doesn't define you as not
being enough. It just is a difficult moment.
That's something we have to accept in our mental health
journey. You're not.
And we, we are enough. Our struggles do not define us.
You are worth more than just your mental health struggles.
So in order to reach this level of knowing that we're enough, in
(05:28):
order to reach the self acceptance, we have to embrace
all parts of ourselves. And that means, you know,
welcoming all emotions, not justthe pleasant ones.
And I've preached this for forever.
The name of this podcast is literally feel your feelings
because I wanted people to be encouraged to feel all of their
feelings. You know, it's, it's just an
all-encompassing feelings because you have to feel the
(05:51):
good. Yes, you have to feel happy, you
have to feel joy, you have to feel excitement, but you have to
feel the bad. And I will continue to preach
that all the time to anyone who will listen.
So it is it is so important to practice self acceptance and a
great way to do this is through self compassion.
(06:12):
So when you're struggling, instead of talking down on
yourself, instead of saying I'm not enough, I shouldn't be
feeling this. Instead, practice the same
compassion that you would practice with a friend who's
struggling. If you if you have a friend
who's dealing with a bout of depression and they can't get
out of bed, you wouldn't tell them what's wrong with you.
You know you're not worth anything.
You're worthless. Just get out of bed, you idiot.
(06:34):
You wouldn't say that to them. So why do you say the same thing
to yourself? Why is your story so much more
destructive than the story that you tell other people?
It's because you don't have thatself acceptance.
It's because you don't believe that you're enough when you
always have been. So how can you extend that same
(06:58):
kindness to yourself? That's what we have to figure
out. And there's really no blanket
way to do that. You know, I can tell you to be
compassionate to yourself, but that won't happen unless you
practice it in person. So just try to be aware of that
and try to remember in those moments that you're maybe
(07:19):
talking to a friend. So there's some simple,
actionable ways to start embracing being enough.
Challenge that negative self talk.
You know, when you think I'm notenough, ask who told me that?
Why am I telling myself this story?
Why is this my narrative right now?
Challenge it. Challenge that directly.
Celebrate those small wins. You know, when you get out of
(07:41):
bed, when you reach out to a friend, when you take care of
yourself, these are wins. They're small wins, yes, but
they're wins and they're practice.
They're they're, they're practicing towards bigger wins
and they're practice towards believing that you're enough.
When you care for yourself, whenyou practice self-care, you are
showing yourself that you're enough and that you love
yourself. When you're kind to yourself,
you're showing yourself that you're enough.
(08:03):
You're showing yourself that youcare.
And that is so important when we're growing with our mental
health, when we're trying to find our way out of a mental
health struggle, that is so important.
So treat yourself with that samepatience that you would offer a
friend. Treat yourself with that same
love you would offer a friend. Because you are enough.
(08:25):
No matter where you are, no matter what you feel, no matter
how much you struggle, you are enough.
I remember there was a time whenthat was all I wanted to hear,
that I was enough. I remember sitting in bed
thinking, man, there's somethingreally wrong with me.
You know, I'm not perfect. I need to be better.
(08:48):
Healing is not perfection. It's about showing up for
yourself. It took me years to realize I
was supposed to show up for myself.
And when I did, when I started being consistent, when I started
accepting that I was enough, when I started showing myself
self acceptance, self compassion, everything changed.
And you deserve that same acceptance.
(09:09):
You deserve that same compassion.
You deserve to know that you areenough.
This is a little odd, but I would like to end this episode
with a poem. It's one of my favorite poems
goes like this. I like it when it gets
difficult. I like it when my heart becomes
so heavy that I need help help carrying it.
(09:30):
I like it when I'm human, when I'm weak, when I blister because
a callus means you've been touched by 1000 lives.
A shell means you're capable of surviving.
A cold exterior means there's something warm to protect.
I hold so much love inside. I like it when I'm tender, when
I'm soft and sweet. I like it when waves crash.
It reminds me although this lifemade may hold much pain, I am
(09:55):
capable of caring and I'm more than enough.
And you are more than enough. Thank you so much for being
here. I'm trying kind of a new format.
I really appreciate y'all being here for joining me for feeling
your feelings with me. As always, you can shoot me Adm
(10:18):
on my Instagram at Jewel boy with an I under score.
Let me know what you thought about today's episode.
Also, if you need help feeling your feelings, you should check
out my music on all platforms under the name of Ethan Jewel.
I almost guarantee it'll make you cry.
Also, that poem was from my poetry book, which is available
on my website ethanjewel.com. Thank you so much for being
(10:40):
here. Thank you for understanding that
you are enough. And as always, thank you for
feeling your feelings. I'll see you next time.
You are enough. Yes, you.
You are enough right now as you are.
And I know this phrase is often thrown around.
It's kind of in that same category as other useless mental
health phrases like oh, just smile, be positive.
You are enough. But this one has a little bit of
truth to it. I don't mean it just as some
(00:22):
soulless kind of empty encouragement that won't
actually do anything. I mean that you are enough as
you are, regardless of the feelings that you struggle with,
regardless of the mental health issues that you have, you're
enough as you are. This kind of shameless self
acceptance is so important in our mental health journeys.
(00:43):
So I want to talk about it today.
My name is Ethan Jewell and welcome back to Feel Your
Feelings. I remember when I was in my
deepest, darkest struggle with my mental health, I would hear
these little phrases like you are enough, and I would roll my
eyes. I would go, What are you talking
(01:04):
about? Of course I'm not enough.
Look at this struggle. Look at this.
I couldn't get out of bed this morning and I cried five times
yesterday. Of course I'm not enough.
I'm not getting enough done. But that's the problem.
I wasn't just accepting myself how I was.
I was thinking that I needed to prove my existence.
I literally needed to prove to both the world and to myself
(01:28):
that I was allowed to just exist.
And that is a dangerous trap. So if you have struggled with
with this, you're in the right place.
Thank you so much for joining meto feel your feelings.
So 1st I want to talk about a common lie that we tell
ourselves whenever we're struggling with this lack of
self acceptance. Whenever we're struggling with
(01:50):
the feeling of not being enough.And the lie is I'll be enough.
When that when is so dangerous because it tells you that right
now there's something wrong withyou.
There's something that needs to be fixed in order for you to
exist as a person, and that's just not true.
(02:12):
You know, we say I'll be enough when I get this promotion.
Or maybe just on a more basic level, I'll be enough when I get
happy. I'll be enough when I stop
struggling. And the truth is, the struggle
may always be there. You know, I don't think there's
going to be a world where I don't struggle with bouts of
depression. But I know that that doesn't
(02:32):
change my worth as a person. I can be depressed and still be
worthy. I can be depressed and still be
enough. I can have bad days and still
love myself and that is such an important thing to remember.
It's never all be enough when it's I am enough.
(02:53):
And I will also push myself to achieve these things because I I
accept myself and I love myself enough to try to get better.
Don't improve out of guilt. Don't try to improve out of some
invisible, you know, set of requirements to be enough.
You are enough. You just have to believe it.
(03:13):
We are all enough. You have to change your mindset.
Worth is not conditional. There's no conditions.
There's no terms and conditions that you need to read through
and agree to in order to be enough in order to accept
yourself. See, the reality is there is no
conditions your, your struggles.They don't define your worth.
(03:36):
You know, when you struggle withyour mental health, you don't
become less valuable. You know, a lot of people think,
oh, I'm broken. You know, they think of it
almost like an object. Oh, I'm, I'm broken.
You know, I broke this object. Now it's worth less.
That's just not the case. We are deep and complicated
emotional creatures that are supposed to sometimes feel bad.
(03:59):
You know a good day will just bea day if you only experience
happiness, and a helping hand will just be a hand if you only
experience happiness. So without these struggles, you
are not a full person. In order to be a person, you
have to struggle sometimes and it sucks.
(04:21):
I wish I could say that we couldjust all be happy all the time,
but we have to struggle, and those struggles do not define
your worth. A cloudy sky does not mean that
the sun is gone. When you look up at the sky and
you see clouds, you don't think,Oh my God, the sun exploded and
there's never going to be daylight ever again.
No, you think, oh, there's a cloud covering the sun, it'll
(04:44):
pass. So why don't you think of your
mental health the same way? You know when you're struggling,
when you have a cloud over your head, when you have a a hard
cloudy day? Why don't you think, oh, I'm
having a difficult day? This too will pass.
And it doesn't define you. It doesn't define you as being
(05:05):
stuck in darkness forever. It doesn't define you as not
being enough. It just is a difficult moment.
That's something we have to accept in our mental health
journey. You're not.
And we, we are enough. Our struggles do not define us.
You are worth more than just your mental health struggles.
So in order to reach this level of knowing that we're enough, in
(05:28):
order to reach the self acceptance, we have to embrace
all parts of ourselves. And that means, you know,
welcoming all emotions, not justthe pleasant ones.
And I've preached this for forever.
The name of this podcast is literally feel your feelings
because I wanted people to be encouraged to feel all of their
feelings. You know, it's, it's just an
all-encompassing feelings because you have to feel the
(05:51):
good. Yes, you have to feel happy, you
have to feel joy, you have to feel excitement, but you have to
feel the bad. And I will continue to preach
that all the time to anyone who will listen.
So it is it is so important to practice self acceptance and a
great way to do this is through self compassion.
(06:12):
So when you're struggling, instead of talking down on
yourself, instead of saying I'm not enough, I shouldn't be
feeling this. Instead, practice the same
compassion that you would practice with a friend who's
struggling. If you if you have a friend
who's dealing with a bout of depression and they can't get
out of bed, you wouldn't tell them what's wrong with you.
You know you're not worth anything.
You're worthless. Just get out of bed, you idiot.
(06:34):
You wouldn't say that to them. So why do you say the same thing
to yourself? Why is your story so much more
destructive than the story that you tell other people?
It's because you don't have thatself acceptance.
It's because you don't believe that you're enough when you
always have been. So how can you extend that same
(06:58):
kindness to yourself? That's what we have to figure
out. And there's really no blanket
way to do that. You know, I can tell you to be
compassionate to yourself, but that won't happen unless you
practice it in person. So just try to be aware of that
and try to remember in those moments that you're maybe
(07:19):
talking to a friend. So there's some simple,
actionable ways to start embracing being enough.
Challenge that negative self talk.
You know, when you think I'm notenough, ask who told me that?
Why am I telling myself this story?
Why is this my narrative right now?
Challenge it. Challenge that directly.
Celebrate those small wins. You know, when you get out of
(07:41):
bed, when you reach out to a friend, when you take care of
yourself, these are wins. They're small wins, yes, but
they're wins and they're practice.
They're they're, they're practicing towards bigger wins
and they're practice towards believing that you're enough.
When you care for yourself, whenyou practice self-care, you are
showing yourself that you're enough and that you love
yourself. When you're kind to yourself,
you're showing yourself that you're enough.
(08:03):
You're showing yourself that youcare.
And that is so important when we're growing with our mental
health, when we're trying to find our way out of a mental
health struggle, that is so important.
So treat yourself with that samepatience that you would offer a
friend. Treat yourself with that same
love you would offer a friend. Because you are enough.
(08:25):
No matter where you are, no matter what you feel, no matter
how much you struggle, you are enough.
I remember there was a time whenthat was all I wanted to hear,
that I was enough. I remember sitting in bed
thinking, man, there's somethingreally wrong with me.
You know, I'm not perfect. I need to be better.
(08:48):
Healing is not perfection. It's about showing up for
yourself. It took me years to realize I
was supposed to show up for myself.
And when I did, when I started being consistent, when I started
accepting that I was enough, when I started showing myself
self acceptance, self compassion, everything changed.
And you deserve that same acceptance.
(09:09):
You deserve that same compassion.
You deserve to know that you areenough.
This is a little odd, but I would like to end this episode
with a poem. It's one of my favorite poems
goes like this. I like it when it gets
difficult. I like it when my heart becomes
so heavy that I need help help carrying it.
(09:30):
I like it when I'm human, when I'm weak, when I blister because
a callus means you've been touched by 1000 lives.
A shell means you're capable of surviving.
A cold exterior means there's something warm to protect.
I hold so much love inside. I like it when I'm tender, when
I'm soft and sweet. I like it when waves crash.
It reminds me although this lifemade may hold much pain, I am
(09:55):
capable of caring and I'm more than enough.
And you are more than enough. Thank you so much for being
here. I'm trying kind of a new format.
I really appreciate y'all being here for joining me for feeling
your feelings with me. As always, you can shoot me Adm
(10:18):
on my Instagram at Jewel boy with an I under score.
Let me know what you thought about today's episode.
Also, if you need help feeling your feelings, you should check
out my music on all platforms under the name of Ethan Jewel.
I almost guarantee it'll make you cry.
Also, that poem was from my poetry book, which is available
on my website ethanjewel.com. Thank you so much for being
(10:40):
here. Thank you for understanding that
you are enough. And as always, thank you for
feeling your feelings. I'll see you next time.
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