Seven Tips To Deal With Low Self-Esteem

Most people suffer from low self-esteem at some point in their lives.

It often occurs after a traumatic event, like rejection by a romantic partner or being fired from a job.

However, having low self-esteem for a long period is not normal and can have some negative consequences for your mental health.

The first step to dealing with low self-esteem is to realise that you deserve to feel good about yourself.

You can then identify the triggers that cause your low self-esteem and begin to address them.

This guide will help by defining self-esteem and identifying the signs of low self-esteem.

We’ll then share seven incredibly useful tips for improving your self-esteem.

What is low self-esteem?

Self-esteem is an emotional evaluation of your own worth and abilities.

It has a significant impact on your personal beliefs including what you expect from yourself and how you expect to be treated by others.

The level of your self-esteem will affect how you experience the world and has a large impact on your quality of life.

Many aspects make up your self-esteem, including how you view your appearance, intelligence, athleticism and other personal characteristics.

If you often have negative feelings about yourself, it may eventually lead to low self-esteem and a feeling that you just aren’t “good enough” compared to other people.

You may eventually begin to feel inadequate, unworthy, incompetent or unlovable.

It’s important to remember that feelings of low self worth are not valid.

They are simply an emotional response to negative past experiences where you may have been bullied, abused, or neglected.

Many people also have low self esteem because of mistakes they have made in the past.

The great news is — you can rebuild your self-esteem and feel great about life once more.

You may have negative self-esteem if you experience the following:

Self neglect

Having low self-esteem may cause you to not look after your mind and body.

This might manifest as an eating disorder, failure to exercise, or excessive consumptions of drugs and alcohol.

Social withdrawal

If you find that you don’t want to spend time around other people, it may be related to having low self-esteem.

Feelings of emotional turmoil

Low self-esteem can trigger feelings of anxiety, depression, fear, sadness and uncertainty.

Worrying about how you treated other people

Many people with low self-esteem obsess about how they have treated other people.

For example, you might spend hours thinking about an incident where you accidentally insulted someone, even if it occurred years ago.

Inability to accept compliments

Low self-esteem can cause people to ignore compliments from others.

These feelings of low self worth override praise.

Constant negative self talk

People with low self-esteem often say negative things to themselves like “I am so stupid” or “I can’t get anything right”.

Unfortunately, this kind of negative self talk can reduce your self-esteem even more.

Reluctance to take on challenges

Having low self-esteem will eventually affect your confidence.

You will no longer believe you have the ability to take on challenges like building a career or having a successful relationship.

Tips for dealing with low self-esteem

Fortunately, there are some simple techniques for restoring your self-esteem.

Here are seven of the best.

#1 — Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness is the practice of bringing your attention to experiences occurring in the present moment.

It has been proven to reduce feelings of emotional stress, anxiety, and depression.

It can also reduce feelings of low self esteem by eliminating negative self talk.

There are many ways to practice mindfulness, including yoga, meditation, art therapy, mindful eating, and mindful listening.

#2 — Do your best to be non-judgemental

Most people with low self-esteem have very judgemental thoughts — particularly towards themselves.

When they fail at a job interview, their first thought isn’t “There were many qualified candidates, I’ll get the next one”.

Instead they will have thoughts like “I lack basic skills” or “I don’t deserve a job”.

Avoid making judgements about yourself in this way.

Instead, accept that many things that happen are not a reflection upon you.

Accept yourself for who you are and that there is no shame in failing.

You aren’t at fault for everything that goes wrong!

#3 — Write your thoughts in a journal

Journaling is an excellent way to deal with low self-esteem.

It helps you process thoughts and emotions that are locked in your subconscious.

In many cases, these deep inner feelings are the root cause of feelings of low self esteem.

Additionally, by putting your thoughts onto paper, you can scratch out irrational negative feelings with the swipe of a pen and focus on your many positive attributes.

#4 — Focus on the things that you enjoy

Life is meant to be enjoyed.

Foster a new attitude that focuses on having fun and making the most of life.

This will help you focus on things outside of yourself, like hobbies, sports, and travelling adventures.

You will no longer be focussing on feelings of self worth, but spending time enjoying your life.

Eventually, you will experience exciting new things, make new friends, and improve your self-esteem.

#5 — Be aware of your emotions and thoughts

Human beings are complex creatures that experience many different emotions and inner thoughts each day.

It’s important to remember that we have the ability to control how we react to these thoughts and feelings.

Focus on consciously managing what pops into your head each day.

Read these tips to get better at managing your emotions.

#6 — Forgive yourself

There may be occasions where you actually do something wrong, like blurting out an insult or making a mistake at work.

When this happens, remember that it is ok to forgive yourself.

The moment is gone and you should focus on the future.

#7 — Spend time with positive people

It is easy to have low self-esteem if you are constantly surrounded by people who are saying negative things about you or giving you a hard time.

Remove these people from your life.

Spend more time with people who actually appreciate you and treat you well.