Low Self-Esteem
We all have times when we lack confidence and do not feel good about ourselves.
But when low self-esteem becomes a long-term problem, it can have a harmful effect on our mental health and our day-to-day lives.
Self-esteem is the opinion we have of ourselves.
Self-esteem is an individual's subjective evaluation of their own worth.
Synonyms or near-synonyms of self-esteem include many things: self-worth, self-regard, self-respect, and self-integrity.
When we have healthy self-esteem, we tend to feel positive about ourselves and about life in general. It makes us better able to deal with life's ups and downs.
When our self-esteem is low, we tend to see ourselves and our life in a more negative and critical light. We also feel less able to take on the challenges that life throws at us.
Self-esteem is therefore so important because it heavily influences people's choices and decisions. In other words, self-esteem serves a motivational function by making it more or less likely that people will take care of themselves and explore their full potential. It is therefore critical to our ability to live a happy and healthy life.
What causes Low Self-Esteem?
It is a fact that in terms of self-esteem, we are all born equal. Low self-esteem often begins in childhood. Our teachers, friends, siblings, parents, and even the media send us positive and negative messages about ourselves. For some reason, the message that you are not good enough is the one that stays with you. Perhaps you found it difficult to live up to other people's expectations of you, or to your own expectations. Stress and difficult life events, such as serious illness or a bereavement, can have a negative effect on self-esteem. Personality can also play a part. Some people are just more prone to negative thinking, while others set impossibly high standards for themselves
How Does Low Self-Esteem Affect Us?
If you have low self-esteem or low confidence, you may hide yourself away from social situations, stop trying new things, and avoid things you find challenging.
In the short term, avoiding challenging and difficult situations might make you feel safe. In the longer term, this can backfire because it reinforces your underlying doubts and fears.
It teaches you the unhelpful rule that the only way to cope is by avoiding things. Living with low self-esteem can harm mental health and lead to problems such as depression and anxiety.
You may also develop unhelpful habits, such as smoking and drinking too much, as a way of coping.
Low self-esteem is characterised by a lack of confidence and feeling badly about oneself. People with low self-esteem often feel unlovable, awkward, or incompetent. They have a fragile sense of self that can easily be wounded by others
Characteristics of Low Self-Esteem
People with low self-esteem may present with:
• Depression / sadness
• Anxieties
• Low mood
• Avoiding social situations
• Feelings of inadequacy
• Comparing self negatively to others
• Difficulty accepting compliments
• Neglect of own needs, particularly emotional ones
Signs of Low Self-Esteem
• Sensitivity to criticism
• Social withdrawal
• Hostility
• Excessive preoccupation with personal problems
• Physical symptoms such as fatigue, insomnia and headaches
How Hypnotherapy can help
My Hypnotherapy Program focuses on:
• Identify and challenge negative self-talk
• Focus on creating connections with loving people
• Teach you techniques that will help you to be assertive
• Agree upon and set a new achievable challenge
• Reestablish your relationship with the positives in your life
Hypnosis is entirely collaborative and begins with a conversation to establish your goals. Only when we have decided on the correct course, will the hypnosis begin.
It will identify those areas and aspects affected most and will improve coping abilities, address past potential causes, and find renewed hope and positivity.
My 4-part Hypnosis for “Reclaiming Your Self-Esteem” program will enable you to re-focus and tap into your natural confidence - a confidence that you were actually born with!
Find out more here
