Self-esteem refers to the way we view ourselves and how much value we believe we have. This can change throughout our lives and can be highly subjective. Our self-esteem can impact how we care for ourselves and even how successful we can be. Whether your self-esteem is at a positive level or a more negative one, you can improve it. Therapy can help!

Positive versus Negative Self-Esteem

Self-esteem is defined as the value you give yourself based on how valuable you believe you are to others. It is the degree of your self-respect, and exists on a continuum, ranging from high to low. Self-esteem affects nearly every part of your well-being, including your relationships, self-care, work, etc.

Positive self-esteem provides the strength and flexibility to enable you to take charge of your life and learn from your mistakes without fear of rejection, shame, or self-criticism. Healthy self-esteem helps you to be realistic about your goals and confront challenges without being reckless.

On the other hand, negative or low self-esteem can deter you from realizing your full potential due to feelings of fear, unworthiness, incapability, and incompetence. This negative self-image can make you see yourself as less valuable than others. Feeling this way can impact you in a variety of ways, but it doesn’t have to stay this way. 

Factors That May Challenge Self-Esteem

Self-esteem is an internal belief that develops while growing up. The foundations are laid from early childhood, but self-esteem changes with time and events. Good experiences may result in increased self-esteem, while negative ones can lower it.

In childhood, positive messages and healthy support can set you up for having healthier self-esteem. However, your self-esteem can be damaged if you receive criticism and/or abuse from people who are supposed to provide care, understanding, and security. It can’t prosper if your sense of confidence and purpose has not been appropriately reinforced to encourage accomplishment.

Even well-developed adult self-esteem can be affected by unexpected life changes, such as divorce, financial difficulties, substance abuse, physical illness, or other circumstances that lead you to doubt your worth or value. Therapy can be a beneficial option to help put these challenges in perspective and boost your inherent resilience to overcome them.

Alarming Features of Low Self-Esteem

In this materialistic world, people have a penchant for comparing themselves with others. This practice often highlights insecurities and fuels negative feelings about yourself. As a result, you may lose sight of your own value as an individual and feel inadequate.

If you regard yourself critically, and perpetually feel a sense of failure or lack of accomplishment, you may have low self-esteem. Your constant self-criticism may be perpetuated by the habit of comparing yourself to others. Although the perceived faults may not be real, the thought patterns may have become ingrained in your mind so that you believe they are true.

Low self-esteem is often accompanied by depression, perfectionism, codependency and even feelings of powerlessness and unworthiness.

The Journey to Feeling Good about Yourself

Improving or regaining your self-esteem takes more than time and effort. It takes honesty to admit there are things you don’t like about yourself, and courage to challenge these feelings so you can feel better about yourself. Some people have the innate skills to recover from the setback of negative self-esteem, but others need external help to find the strength to achieve the change they want.

Carolina Counseling Services — Sanford, NC can help you explore your individuality and realize your full potential with confidence. It’s time to feel good and realistic about who you really are by developing and trusting your abilities. You deserve to praise yourself for what you can do and not focus only on what others say about you. 

CCS contracts with skilled, licensed therapists and counselors that can help you improve the way you view yourself and improve your self-esteem. Call today to schedule your first appointment. Online counseling sessions are available!