Overcoming low self-esteem
In this article of overcoming low self-esteem, we will look at few techniques that we need to practice. But first let’s have a brief look at understanding self-esteem.
What is Self-esteem?
Self-esteem is what we perceive ourselves. Its subjective sense of our value for ourselves and how confident we are with our abilities.
Some qualities of people with healthy self-esteem is that they focus on personal growth, practice positive thinking.
People with unhealthy self-esteem think negative about themselves. It is about how we perceive and believe about ourselves.
People with low self-esteem will have following signs:
- Sensitive to criticism
- Social difficulties, such as withdrawal and loneliness
- Dependent on others
- Have poor communication. They can be aggressive, defensive, or sarcastic.
- Might dislike and distrust others.
Overcoming low self-esteem: 7 tips
1. Personalizing:
Perceiving yourself as more involved in negative events than you really are
Thinking that they lost their match because of you is an example of personalizing.
Start thinking positive. Believe that not all bad thinking happening to you is because of you. There are many other factors responsible.
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Blaming:
Blaming is opposite of personalizing. Personalizing puts all responsibility on yourself for the negative consequences, whereas blaming is putting it all on something outside of yourself.
For example:
“I failed because they abandoned me”
The solution for blaming is to acknowledge the outside factor, but also take responsibility for your own welfare.
If you performs poorly on exam you should say “I performed poorly on that exam because I did not study enough. Next time I will pay more attention and study well”
Avoid blaming yourself for the consequences.
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Turning feeling into facts:
If you make your feeling as a proof of the way things really are this is called making feeling facts. This is also considered distorted thinking.
For example:
“I feel worthless and unloved. I must be worthless”
The antidote to this is to remind yourself that the feelings are not facts. Write your thoughts and feelings on a paper to help us sort it all out and see things more clearly.
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Physical preparations
To overcome low self-esteem you need to start by take care of your body. This is the reason why people with depression, fatigue, are undernourished, and under exercised.
Investing time on your physical health can improve your mood, and will influence how you experience yourself.
To feel good physically you should regularly exercise, have a proper sleep routine, and have healthy eating habits.
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Recognize your strengths:
Everyone is good at something. But you need to search and recognize it. It can be any of you hobbies like singing, painting, or a sport like tennis. Recognizing will help you think positive about yourself.
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Learn to say “NO”
Someone with low self-esteem always priorities others needs before themselves and agree to other people, even when they don’t want to say yes.
Learn to say “No” and prioritize your needs and feelings first over others. Don’t ignore yourself and start by gradually taking steps towards loving yourself.
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Seek help:
If extremely low self-esteem is causing problem in your daily life activity, try seeking help by talking to a therapist or a counsellor.
Final Words:
Self-esteem plays a vital role in building and shaping our life. People with positive self-esteem have positive image about themselves, they believe in their abilities and strength. Whereas those with negative self-esteem due to fear of failure do not try new thing. They are less confident in themselves and lack decision-making skills. However, everyone is capable of overcoming low self-esteem, by looking for physical and hidden signs of low self-esteem.