Self Esteem

Developing a positive sense of self and self worth.

Self- esteem refers to how we feel about ourselves and our individual level of self worth.

It can be easy to confuse self-esteem with self confidence. Although they are similar, they are not the same. Confident people may suffer the effects of low self-esteem too.

Consider some public leaders or celebrities who in front of a camera may appear supremely confident. The same individuals, when out of the public domain may be lacking in self esteem.

Self esteem relates to how self deserving we feel in areas of success, love, business, relationships, achievement, parenting or work. When low self-esteem permeates our lives, it affects our living. It can leave us feeling hopeless, rejected and depressed. It can lead to critical self talk which only adds further to feelings of low self worth.

Causes:
Our formative experiences during early years are thought to play a significant role in the development of self-esteem as is our experience within the educational arena during infancy through adolescence. Temperament and how we perceive and interpret the demands of our environment play a part also.

Signs and symptoms of chronic low self esteem might include:

lethargy
inability to self-motivate
treating yourself badly
placing little value in your own opinions
feeling bored and pessimistic about your current circumstances
viewing the world and your own abilities through a negative lens

Counselling can help you to develop an insight to your true sense of self and self worth. Working on self assertiveness can help to enhance self esteem. Reviewing past conditioning and events may help an individual to understand how this relates to their current challenges.