Self-esteem
What is self-esteem?
Self-esteem is a person’s subjective sense of self-worth or personal value. In other words, it is self-respect, how much you appreciate and like yourself. Hence, people who have low self-esteem may perceive themselves as ‘not goo enough’ or not as good as others. On the other hand, people who have extremely high self-esteem can be narcissistic, putting others off and destroy relationships. Therefore, it is best to establish healthy balance of self-esteem, somewhere in the middle.
Do I have self-esteem issues?
When you have very low self-esteem, it can affect your personality as well as your mental health. Low self-esteem can lead to feeling defeated or depressed, feeling that life is meaningless, therefore, causing you to make destructive choices for yourself. These choices may affect your life, your career, and your relationships.
The causes of low self-esteem can be varied from person to person. In many cases, people who have low self-esteem have experienced consistent negative opinions from family members or people they are closed to and/or being bullied by others.
To notice if you have low self-esteem, you may observe if you are experiencing these feelings and behaviours:
- Feeling that you are not good enough
- Lack of belief in yourself and your ability
- Lack of motivation
- Lack of confidence
- Fear of failure
- Trouble accepting complements
- Inability to say no to requests or to express your needs
- Focusing only on your weaknesses
- Intense feelings of shame
- Depression or anxiety
- Social anxiety
- Fear of judgments
Self-esteem problems can be traumatic and lead to many other issues in different areas of life. Talking therapy and life coaching can help you to overcome self-esteem issues, help you to put things in more constructive aspects, find your strength, and establish a healthy level of self-esteem. I’m here to help. Get in touch.