What is self esteem?

Self esteem is the way we think and view ourselves, for example, we might say, “I am a good person”.  Some other ways of saying it are self worth, self respect, self love or self confidence. Unfortunately, many people have low self esteem which means they generally have negative view of themselves and may judge themselves harshly, they might say things about themselves like, “I’m no good at anything” or “I’m hopeless”. Low self esteem can impact on all areas of a person’s life – their work, their relationships with family and friends and even what they do for fun – they might not have enough confidence to something they would enjoy.

Low self esteem can come from early life experiences, especially if you were repeatedly treated unfairly or harshly as a child. It can also form later in life if you’ve experienced a lot of setbacks and difficulties like losing a job, the end of marriage, prolonged financial stress etc. People with low self esteem process information in a way that confirms the way that they think about themselves – they get caught in a vicious cycle of negativity.

There is good news though! By bringing awareness to thoughts, consciously changing behaviour, learning assertive communication techniques and engaging in good self care practices, low self esteem can become healthy self esteem!  If you feel you have low self esteem and need some support, contact Stafford Cottage on 4862 1122 for the appropriate referrals.