How can I explain to my parents that I don't need to get paid

Kate_20

I don't want to get paid for my work because I am not good enough. I just want to do some volunteering because what I have done does not meet the criteria of getting paid. I don't worth anything. And I don't want to worry about getting paid for poor quality of work. I already worry about everything. Worrying about money I don't deserve adds to the pressure. I will never recover. My parents shamed me for staying at home and only doing volunteering jobs.

AislingDM

I reckon it makes a lot of sense to feel like being paid for the work you produce creates a lot more pressure to perform completely perfectly @Kate_20 ! Already being an anxious person, it's not like you need an additional thing to worry about and to cause you stress. Plus we all know there are lots of cool feelings that volunteering can evoke, like feeling as though you are doing something good for others without expecting anything in return. Maybe you could try to frame it like that to your parents? Saying something like "it's less about the money and more about just wanting to do something good without people needing to give me something back for it. I know that any kind of work is valuable, and I'd like to give mine for free to help the people who need it the most".

Equally, I want you to know that you really are worth so very much, and I completely get why your parents might want to try to reassure you that asking for compensation for hard work is not out of line, and certainly something you deserve. I know you don't feel confident in the work you do, and I promise I'm not trying to force you to feel differently, but one thing that's important to always know is that everyone starts somewhere and so even someone with 0 skills (which I really doubt is you ) should be treated with respect and given the chance to learn and grow their talents I really hope this helps xxx