February is Self Esteem Month.

February is Boost Your Self Esteem Month. Many of us struggle with low self-esteem, sometimes unknowingly. This can have a big effect on your relationships, work, friends and stop you from doing things that you would like to do.

Self-esteem is the opinion we have of ourselves.

When we have healthy self-esteem, we tend to feel positive about ourselves and about life in general. It makes us better able to deal with life's ups and downs.When our self-esteem is low, we tend to see ourselves and our life in a more negative and critical light. We also feel less able to take on the challenges that life throws at us.

When does low self-esteem normally start?

Low esteem often starts in childhood when we feel we are unable to live up to expectations of other people.
Social Media is having a very negative impact on self-esteem nowadays and I am seeing more and more children suffering with anxiety and stress.
Bereavement, anxiety and stress can all impact our self-esteem. Low self esteem is detrimental to our mental health as it can lead to depression and taking up unhealthy habits.

Some signs of low self -esteem are:

Avoiding social events as you feel you have nothing to contribute to a social situation.
Staying within your comfort zone and not trying things that you would like to in case you fail or feel you will not be good enough.
Running over events in your mind feeling that you have not done well enough.
Generally feeling you are not good enough.

What you can do to increase your self-esteem:

Ensure you are having relationships with people who nurture and encourage you. Avoid people who bring you down or who have negative thoughts themselves.
Write down things that you know you are good at. There is always something we all have our own unique talents.
Be kind to yourself. Think how you would react to someone in a similar situation and say those kind words to yourself. Ensure you use positive words to yourself.
Set yourself a realistic challenge and put baby steps in to reach it and notice how you feel each time you achieve that baby step.
Don’t compare yourself with other people. Each one of us is unique and have our own special talents.
A hard one many people struggle with is saying “No”. It is important to do this as it makes other people respect you and helps to empower you.
Accept compliments without thinking that people are just being kind. Know that they mean it.
Celebrate any successes, no matter how big or small.
Talk to a therapist about how you are feeling. I am more than happy to help and offer a free 30-minute zoom consultation.