Self-Love Is Your Responsibility
Introduction
What is Self-Esteem? In essence, self-esteem means that you have a positive view of yourself and you are at peace with who you are. Although it may seem simple, many people struggle with low self-esteem, which can have devastating consequences.
Self-Esteem And Its Impacts
In this section, we examine self-esteem and its impacts. As a measure of how we feel about ourselves, self-esteem can be described as our overall sense of self-worth. As a result of our personality, our behaviours, our beliefs and core values, and how we judge ourselves, we create an image of ourselves that builds or destroys our self-esteem. We are motivated and act based on our self-esteem. Often, we don’t pursue our dreams because we believe we can never achieve them or we stop utilizing opportunities because we don’t feel we are worth it. Self-esteem can really motivate us to take risks and succeed. We are aware that a possible negative outcome does not reflect our value or ability.
Having healthy self-esteem makes us feel confident and enables us to set boundaries to protect ourselves. Even when we have negative experiences, we do not let them affect our self-image. We know what we need and we will ask for it or go get it.
Having low self-esteem makes us feel insecure. We do not always act in our own interest, but we have a constant desire to please others. There is a cloud of negativity hanging over us, we feel that nothing will ever work out for us. It is difficult for us to ask for help because we feel ashamed of ourselves.
What Factors Influence Self-Esteem?
The foundation of our self-esteem is often formed in our early years, and many factors influence it. It is not only our genetics and our personality type that contribute to our self-esteem, but also the experiences we have. We may be more likely to experience self-esteem problems if we were raised around people who were particularly critical of us. Furthermore, how we are treated by others, the struggles we face, and what we are going through all play a vital role in building our self-esteem. Due to the fact that we live in a society, it is impossible for us not to be influenced by the relationships we have and the circumstances in which we live. We need to remind ourselves that we can change our network and the experiences we are facing, we should work toward defining clear boundaries and realistic goals.
Self-Esteem vs Confidence
Many people confuse self-esteem and confidence, and while they are closely related, there are differences as well. Confidence is our trust in our abilities to deal with challenges and engage effectively in our world. The source of our confidence is usually external. When we are successful at something, we are generally more confident. On the other hand, self-esteem is largely internal, succeeding at something may not affect it.
Confidence is a belief in oneself and one’s powers or abilities externally. Self-esteem is the value you place on yourself from a stand-alone view, internally.
Conclusion
A low sense of self-worth can adversely affect our mental health. Self-harm, depression, and anxiety can result from this. Learning to value who we are, helps us develop emotional resilience. Therefore, we’ll be able to react back sooner when we encounter obstacles, disappointments, or failures. In addition, we’ll gain more self-confidence and self-esteem. By taking more risks we’ll feel happier and we can achieve what we’re meant to.
