At Wirth, we talk a lot about the power of stories. But sometimes, the most powerful stories are the ones that we tell about ourselves. For this blog, we asked our team to reflect on self-worth: what it means, how they nurture it, and the role that community plays.
Their answers remind us that worthiness isn’t a simple definition. It’s a conversation, a practice, and often, a journey.
What does self-worth mean to you?
For some, it begins at the core: “Knowing that you are deserving of goodness and love regardless of everything else.” Another reflection put it this way: “It’s the recognition that you are inherently worthy of love, safety, and respect, simply because you exist… But even though I believe this is what self-worth should mean, the truth is it can be fragile.”
Self-worth can sometimes feel more like a “practice, something to protect, rebuild, and keep choosing, even when it’s been shaken.”
Others spoke to the practice of self-love: “To have value and belief in yourself beyond any external need or comparison. To be able to have deep, genuine love and kindness for yourself.”
At its core, self-worth is about believing in your value beyond achievement or comparison, and choosing to treat yourself with kindness even when it feels hard.
How do you nurture it?
The answers here were as unique as each person: mirror pep talks, radical self-acceptance, prayer, movement, music, and connection.
“Talking to myself in the mirror and reminding myself that I am worthy of everything as I am right now,” one team member shared. Another added: “Grounding practices like meditation or time in nature help me remember I’m not alone… Still, it often feels like a choice I have to keep making, not a feeling that just arrives.”
And sometimes, it’s about connection through creativity: “Playing music with friends is an unparalleled way of connecting with others… to sing and harmonize with friends is to feel a part of something bigger, less alone, and like I belong.”
And Community?
Over and over, our team returned to this truth: self-worth is not built in isolation.
“Connection is everything! Seeing yourself through other people’s eyes can help with a lot of the negativity or insecurity.” Another reflection was even more personal: “Community has been both the place where my self-worth was broken and where it’s being rebuilt.”
Sometimes the people around us can wound our sense of value, but healing connections can also help restore it.
Others reminded us of the simplicity of unconditional support: “Close friends don’t care about anything else, they just love you as you.”
Friends who love us exactly as we are, communities that reflect back the best of ourselves, even small moments of connection with strangers! These are all moments that remind us we don’t have to carry the work of worthiness alone
What are we still learning?
“I’m still learning that self-worth isn’t a destination I arrive at once and for all, but an ongoing practice.” Another team member echoed: “How can I grow my self-worth without the validation and praise of others?”
What’s clear in the Wirth Team, is that self-worth is not a destination we arrive at once and for all. It’s a lifelong practice, with peaks and valleys, reminders and re-learnings. It’s the ongoing choice to meet the inner critic with compassion and to return to the truth that we’ve been worthy all along–and we always will be.
We’d love to hear from you, too. Take a moment to reflect on the same questions we asked our team:
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What does self-worth mean to you?
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What practices or habits help you nurture your self-worth?
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What role has community or connection played in building your self-worth?
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What are you still learning when it comes to self-worth?
Share your reflections with us. Whether it’s in a journal, with a loved one, or by joining the conversation in our community, your story matters, and it just might remind someone else of their own worth.
This World Mental Health Day, we encourage you to pause and reflect. Take a deep breath. Step away from the noise for a moment and remind yourself that you are always worth it.
- The Wirth Team x
