Don’t try to fit in, because you will feel miserable in the end. A much more effective approach is to consider your differences as your assets, then try to use them.
In our daily lives, we judge other people and their behaviors by comparing them to what we think is normal. But actually it is only our own implicit benchmark. That is why normality is a rather illusive concept. Is it true that there is a statistical norm of what is normal and that everything that is average is thus normal? No, there is no such thing as normal. Normal is all the chaos and unpredictable experiences that we face and witness every single day of our lives. We may be a little bit weird, but these little things are not as important as our own characteristics. You can always craft a satisfying life, just focus on what you feel to be normal in all the domains of your life.
Freud describes healthy functioning is to love and to work. These two things, relationships and a sense of purpose in our life grants us psychological resilience and make us healthy and normal. Well, now how do we attain this level of mental health and stability? We must reassess our motivations, we must honestly evaluate our strengths and areas for improvement. It is important to be able to identify one’s triggers that lead to self-destructive behavior.
According to experts from INSEAD and its Global Leadership Centre, healthier people possess a stable sense of their own identity and are good at reality testing. When they have troubles, they are able to deploy more mature defense mechanisms. They approach other people in a rather balanced way and take responsibility for own actions. They have learned how to manage their anxieties and live intensely. They explore a full range of their emotions. These stable people have the capacity to cultivate satisfying relationships and maintain their own support network. They can both give and accept help and advice.
-jk-