The whole “just be yourself” advice is unhelpful and potentially harmful

Let me explain. The problem is that it’s terrible advice for people with social anxiety, depression, and many other similar issues. Telling someone who is socially impaired, or just socially insecure, to “just be yourself” invalidates any effort they have to make an effort and change. It’s similar to saying “everyone can learn a foreign language,” which is just not true. A small minority of people are unable to learn a new language, no matter how much they try.<br><br>I’d rather say that instead of telling people to “be yourself”, we tell them something like “try to be the person you want to be in the situation you’re in, and don’t be too hard on yourself when you fail.”<br><br>I am not saying that it is never okay to say this, but I do think it’s vastly overused.