The way we feel and view ourselves has a profound effect on how we live our lives. Self-esteem is learned throughout our lives from our family, friends and our every day experiences.
Self esteem is not a fixed attribute, but changes throughout our lives as a result of our own life experiences and circumstances, because of this we may find ourselves struggling with low self esteem at some point in our life. Thankfully though, self esteem can be improved with a concerted effort.
What is self esteem?
Self-esteem is how we think about ourselves and the value that we place on ourselves as a person. For most people, their idea about themselves is developed throughout their life from experiences and messages that they receive from others. If these are mostly negative, it can lead people to develop negative beliefs about themselves. These negative beliefs can be a major cause of low self-esteem.
Do I have low self esteem?
Low self-esteem is having a negative overall opinion of yourself, and often judging, or evaluating yourself negatively.
Low self-esteem can affect your:
Thoughts (e.g. blaming yourself or being hard on yourself)
Feelings (e.g. anger, sadness, worry and being judgemental)
Body (e.g. tense muscles, sleep problems, fatigue)
Behaviour (e.g. avoiding people or social situations, being a people pleaser)
Tips for improving your self esteem
Reduce your social media
Cut out toxic friends
Clean your environment
Create micro wins
Start to find your passion and purpose
Do something uncomfortable and conquer a challenge
Build up your social system through positive friends and family
Stop the negative talk - your therapist will be able to help you with this one
