Self esteem issues
Are often associated with numerous mental health disorders.
Self esteem issues can be an indicator or a byproduct of a disorder.
For example, depression can cause self esteem issues, vice versa. Most have difficulty going through their day to day routines because they feel insecure about themselves.
So what should we do?
First, examine where the self esteem problem is coming from.
Is it because you are insecure about your personal appearance? Or is it because you feel insecure about your job skills?
Self esteem can be affected by various factors and how we treat it depends on you. Just like with medications, it takes time to find the best treatment plan for you.
Remind yourself some of your greatest strengths.
Always question yourself in a positive way.
It is okay to be in rut because you are not the only one who experiences poor self esteem.
How can you help yourself and/or your friends?
Everyone needs some kind of support system.
As they say “it takes a village” to handle the situation.
Those with poor self-esteem are likely to experience depression and eventually it may lead to suicide ideation.
Self esteem issues can cause one to look or feel worthless.
Luckily, there are numerous resources that can aid in improving self esteem.
The Mayo Clinic (2022) states the following steps on how to improve self worth:
- Recognize situations that affect self-esteem
- Become aware of thoughts and beliefs
- Challenge negative thinking
- Adjust your thoughts and beliefs
- Spot troubling conditions or situations
- Step back from your thoughts
- Accept your thoughts
- Take care of yourself
- Do things you enjoy. Start by making a list of things you like to do. Try to do something from that list every day.
- Spend time with people who make you happy. Don’t waste time on people who don’t treat you well.
It can be challenging
To accept our imperfections and to accept the way we are.
If you have the motivation to work on yourself, do it.
No one is perfect, we all carry our own can of worms.
The only way to stop this feeling of worthlessness is to work on your own personal challenges.
Start by making a list, for each problem break it down into smaller manageable steps.
When you break things down it is easier to manage and solve
For example: You are unable to adjust to your new work environment (job).
Steps:
- How is your job affecting your self esteem?
- Process your thoughts
- What is the worst thing that could happen to you?
- Analyze your work relationships
- Take space to process
We all love to catastrophize our current situation
However we never actually take time to process and reflect about the current situation.
The worst that can happen is that someone says no to your request.
We have to remember that we tend to overreact during certain moments in life.
Self esteem is a work in progress and you have to be willing to work on yourself in order to get better.
So what should I do?
Take a moment to think about how you are feeling.
Do you feel like you need extra support?
If you do, it would not hurt to find your own counselor.
Sometimes we carry personal burdens that affect our overall mental health state.
There is no shame in asking for help.
On the contrary the fact that you are able to recognize it, means that you are extremely strong.
There are numerous research studies that note a strong correlation between self esteem and mental health.
In conclusion, the better self esteem you have the better you are at advocating for yourself.
This post was written by Jasmine P., and published by Convenient Counseling Services.
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