Self-esteem is a direct reflection of how a person perceives. And many times, a person’s esteem depends on whether they think positively or negatively. A person could be said to be experiencing high self-esteem or low self-esteem. This personal evaluation of one’s self isn’t always constant. Studies have found that since self-esteem can be non-binary, it can fluctuate.
While there are two significant self-esteem categories, we’ll be focusing on low self-esteem. When you notice your self-worth is taking a real hit, it is recommended to seek help from experienced professionals, such as Brisbane Psychologists. They can help with anxiety, stress, depression, life challenges, work, and relationship issues.
At a point in time, the average person would experience low self-esteem, and factors like how often and how long a person experiences low self-esteem usually depend on the background and current quality of life. Some of the low self-esteem signs include people-pleasing, neglecting compliments, little to no will to live, imposter syndrome, and fatigue.
In this article, we will be looking at five ways to help boost self-esteem and find out when to reach out for professional help.
The steps to boosting self-esteem are:
Seeking out positive relationships
One of the major ways to understand your life is not only to look within you but to look around you. Who is your friend? Who are the people you’ve let into your life? Do these people make you feel good about yourself? Do you instead feel drained around the people in your life?
Studies and life experiences have shown countless times that company certainly matters. Humans are social creatures. If you are in a friendship or romantic relationship with someone or people who make you feel like you aren’t worth love, trust, and understanding, it will start to reflect on how you see yourself and what you believe you are worth.
Therefore, it is encouraged to move with people of positive attributes that build you up instead of break you down.
Developing self-awareness concerning your needs
Most times, we are too busy chasing what we think others need, and we do more to suppress our desires. Being brought up with teachings that tell us to put others first is lovely; what most teachings fail to include is how important it is to put ourselves first.
When we neglect our needs, we communicate to our subconscious that what we want does not matter, and over time, our minds start shoving our needs to the back burner, where we lose touch with them. One of the noticeable signs of low self-esteem is people-pleasing. We push our needs away and neglect them.
Remember that your needs matter too and that you are not selfish for listening to them. You can only help others when you are in the best condition yourself.
Getting familiar with your boundaries
We should get used to the fact that it’s okay to have boundaries. Many people fear that creating boundaries may come across as being stiff or stuck up to people. But we forget that we can never know when our boundaries have been breached without having a personal set of rules for ourselves.
Without standard boundaries, we give people the opportunity to treat us as they wish without regard to how we truly feel inside. Having set limits, like knowing you want to be addressed respectfully, you don’t like being insulted, or don’t want to be forced into doing what you simply don’t want to do, is okay.
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We become resentful as people because we are angry with the way we let people treat us. We don’t set our rules, yet we expect people will somehow know how we want to be treated. So far, it doesn’t work that way. It’s best to let people know your worth.
Learning to review negative thoughts
Negative thoughts are normal and, in most cases, even carry deeper messages than some positive thoughts. We deal with the fear of so many things going wrong or, sometimes, even going right. When confronted with negative thoughts, instead of letting them take root, we should learn to assess them to understand where they are coming from and what they are trying to tell you.
Train your mind to understand that negative thoughts aren’t enemies. Rather, they are fussy children who need taming and understanding. “It’s not going to work out!” is usually a telltale of fear or the fact that we aren’t confident about something. Thinking you are horrible at your job or life may be a pointer to tell you to find something new or make new adjustments.
When you think negatively, it may help review all the things you have going right for you, even the littlest things. It’s also helpful to remember to get out of your head sometimes because most scenarios we cook up in there usually don’t happen anyway, and we could have used our time in healthier ways.
Talking to people you can trust
Feeling sad and unfulfilled is okay. We get scared that if things don’t come around, we may live like that forever. But it’s going to be okay. Please speak to a friend or family you can trust, let them compliment you, and shine a light on your great qualities without you trying to dim them.
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Confiding in people might be scary, especially when you’ve opened up before only to have regretted it. You may find better comfort in speaking to someone you hardly know who won’t use the information against you. But, of course, we can’t just grab any strangers off the street. That’s why there are therapists and trusted mind care professionals who are always ready to help you unravel webs that may have made you lose track of who you are.
Conclusion
It’s okay to feel down and uncertain, even when you believe you are the most confident person on earth. Self-esteem fluctuates depending on where we are and what we are experiencing in life. We should get accustomed to having healthy boundaries and spending time with people who make us value ourselves more.
If you feel you can’t handle negative emotions alone, it’s a wonderful idea to speak to a professional who can help assess your needs.
