Monday, January 31, 2011

Next, Part 10: How to Identify Low Self-Esteem

Next, Part 10: How to Identify Low Self-Esteem

How do you identify low self-esteem? It can be tricky and confusing. 

First, note that self-esteem and self-confidence are entirely different.  Your self-esteem is comprised of the thoughts, beliefs and opinions you have of yourself.  Self-esteem can be high, average or low.  It can be high in some areas while being low in others.  But it is a thought…so if it is negative, it can be changed.  And that is great news!

People with low self-esteem can exhibit numerous traits, but the most common are unwillingness to assume responsibilities or take on challenges, difficulty making decisions, less social conformity, lack of self-confidence, overly conscious about their outward image, prone to emotional confusion, tendencies to blame themselves or others for everything, depression, anxiety, self-depreciation, overly critical of others and more.

Whether you see yourself or someone else in these descriptors, there are things you can do to help yourself or another person.
1.       Give praise for a job well done.
2.       Take or give a compliment.
3.       Focus on doing more of what you do well.
4.       Set small challenges for yourself and accomplish them.
5.       Keep a journal and identify your thoughts and beliefs. Don’t judge them. Just note them.
6.       Focus on progress. Every morning, write down all you did well or accomplished the day before.
7.       Identify skills you would like to learn that would help you feel more confident.
8.       Do something good for yourself.
9.       Learn how to say, “no” nicely.
10.   Seek support in overcoming your low self-esteem and building your confidence in areas that need work.

These are baby steps. But they are a start to a new beginning.

Low self-esteem does not mean you are weak.  It only means you were fed a lot of lies somewhere back in time that you accepted as truth.  Most likely these were hammered home during the time in your cognitive development when what adults told you and showed you were indisputable.

But now we are grown.  We can form our own ideas of ourselves based on what we know to be true about ourselves.  Because no one knows us as well as we know ourselves.

Next, Part 11: The Role of Perfectionism in Anxiety and Self-Esteem

To your TRUE success!

Kathleen

Kathleen Aston
Founder & Life-Fulfillment Strategist

For more information on your complimentary 30-minute coaching session, call 888.447.1191.

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