Are you constantly comparing yourself to others and feeling like you never measure up?

Self-esteem is a concept that speaks to how we feel about ourselves. When someone has high self-esteem, they feel confident, centred, and worthy of love. People with low self-esteem often feel shame and self-doubt. They're often very critical of themselves and think they're unworthy of love or praise. 

We can experience low self-esteem for all sorts of reasons, including negative life experiences, and negative thoughts and judgments about ourselves.

Recognizing Low Self-Esteem - Low self-esteem typically shows up as one of the following:

• Imposter Syndrome - Feeling incompetent and like a fraud in an area of life, often related to work. Perfectionism and procrastination fit in this category.
• Rebellion - Pretending not to care about what others think. Feelings of inferiority may often come across as anger or blame. Narcissism and defensiveness might also fit in here.
• Victimhood - Feeling helpless in the face of life’s challenges. They may believe they're generally incapable, a failure, or worthless. This might also be part of depression or as a result of being gaslit and controlled.

Regardless of how low self-esteem manifests, it often contributes to:

• Depression and anxiety
• Lack of joy in life
• Anger, guilt, sadness
• Self-doubt
• A lack of resilience
• Loneliness
• Isolation
• Worse social anxiety
• Less social activities
• Lower motivation and self-efficacy

Therapy for Low Self-Esteem

Self-esteem is something that can be changed by changing your beliefs, behaviour and how you think about yourself. Having said this, most people developed their self-esteem issues in childhood and have been living with low self-esteem for a very long time, so it can be quite ingrained. 

Having a knowledgeable and supportive therapist in your corner can help you develop a healthier and more realistic sense of self. They will help you discover where your low self-esteem came from, and provide tools so you can adjust your negative beliefs and critical self-talk, balancing them with self-love and self-compassion.

If you have low self-esteem and would like to explore this in therapy, please reach out to me.