
Even successful professionals suffer from low self-esteem.
The biggest issue for people with low self-esteem is they may not even realize they don’t feel good about themselves. It can be dissatisfaction with the way they perform at work or school, the way they look or the way that they interact with others. For many people it spills over into all aspects of their lives and takes away any possibility of joy in their lives.
Signs of Low Self-EsteemSigns of Low Self-Esteem
Low self-esteem typically develops over time and from negative feedback from those people in your life that you value. This can start with negative or harsh parenting in the home and then become internalised so you literally become your own harshest critic.
Typically signs of low self-esteem include:
- Withdrawal from interactions and social situations
- Isolation from friends and family
- Hostility and aggression to others
- Extreme reactions to criticism
- Headaches
- Digestive problems
- Insomnia
- Decrease in work or school performance
- Guilt and shame over issues outside of your control
- Perfectionism
- Pessimisim about the future
- Resentment over others' achievements
- Any failure seen as a permanent indication of the future
Improving Negative or Low Self-Esteem
For most individuals with low self-esteem, unreasonably high levels of success are seen as a marker of their ability to be accepted by the people around them. They often set unrealistic expectations as that marker and then when they fail, they start on a cycle of negativity.
The way to break this cycle is for the person with low self-esteem to change how they view success and how they view themselves in relation to the world around them. By shifting their sense of accomplishment and success from external markers or goals to internal or personal achievements, that negative failure and message cycle can be stopped and corrected.
Through counselling, exercises and practice people with low self-esteem can learn to value their own unique talents, skills and abilities and see them in a realistic and positive light. This will not only boost their self-esteem but also help them in their relationships and interactions with others around them.
Posted by: Philippe Jacquet