Self-esteem refers to the feelings, opinions, and beliefs a person holds about themselves. These feelings can be positive or negative. When a person’s belief about themselves is negative, it is referred to as low self-esteem.
Low self-esteem means that your feelings, thoughts, and opinions about yourself are largely negative; you don’t think much of yourself and what you can achieve.
You are highly critical of yourself, and you perceive the world, yourself, and others negatively. Consequently, a low self-esteem can affect your ability to deal with challenges effectively, make use of available opportunities, and advance in life.
Here are a couple of tips to help you tackle a low self-esteem:
Tackle negative self-talk
When you have a low self-esteem, you don’t only perceive you and your world negatively, you also speak to yourself negatively and harshly. You might find yourself saying things like “I am so stupid,” “I will never be able to achieve this and that,” and so on. Negative self-talk will, in turn, fuel the feelings of low self-esteem.
Turn this negative self-talk around. Think about the words you would use to talk to a friend, colleague, or family member in your situation. Would you be kind, thoughtful and encouraging or harsh and degrading? Make sure to turn that positive energy inside and use kind words on yourself.
You can keep tracks of negative thoughts through self-esteem worksheets. Write down negative thoughts in one column and counteract it with positive thoughts in the opposite column.
Address the root causes
Think about moments when your self-esteem was at its lowest. What was happening at that time? What were you doing? Who was you with? You might notice that your self-esteem is lowest when you are giving a speech, or around certain people, or after spending time online. Whatever it is, note it down and work on taking yourself out of such situations or working on becoming better.
You can also take assertiveness and public speaking classes; or remove toxic people from around you or spend less time with them. You may also need to cut down on the amount of time you spend online if it is the root cause of your negative self-thought.
Exercise
Endorphins are your body’s feel-good hormones. A good way to stimulate the release of endorphins is by exercising. Exercising relieves stress, helps you build confidence, and promotes a positive mood. Dance, go for a run, or join a Zumba class. You can also try setting simple goals for yourself, as you achieve them, you get a confidence and esteem boost.
Try therapy
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a therapeutic technique that focuses on eliminating and replacing negative thought and behavioral patterns. CBT helps you deconstruct your thought process and identify thoughts and behaviors that stem from a low self-esteem, then proffer skills and techniques to help you counter them.
Seek the help of a licensed mental health professional if your thoughts and feelings are tending towards self-harm or are considerably impacting on your quality of life.
CONCLUSION
Low self-esteem can stem from situations, your environment, and other life circumstances. The negative feelings that fuel low self-esteem tend to be very harsh and critical. You might know that these feelings are harsh and even wrong, but you find yourself holding onto them strongly. It’s not going to be an instant transformation, but the more you work on these thoughts and emotions, the better they become.
