Low Self Esteem: Let's talk about it

Let’s talk about low self esteem, it's a subject that we tend to shy away from but it's something we all suffer with from time to time. 

We hear the time flying around, but what does ‘low self esteem’ actually refer to, Low self-esteem is when someone lacks confidence about who they are and what they can do. It often makes people feel incompetent, unloved, or inadequate

Here’s a few signs that you may be experiencing feelings of low self esteem: 

• Blaming yourself when things go wrong 
• Speaking critically/negatively about yourself
• Joking about your insecurities
• Thinking other people are better than you 

Although it can quite literally feel like the be all and end all on those down days, we have scouted out a few tips for making those days a little easier and how you can conquer low self esteem in the long term: 

• Identifying the problem 

First stop to overcoming low self esteem is identifying the problem. Why do you feel the way you do? Is it self-inflicted or is it a result of someone else's behaviour? Once you’ve managed to put your finger on what exactly is making you feel the way you do, you’ll be able to have more control over it. 

• Challenge negative thinking 

We’re all guilty of slipping into a flurry of negative thoughts when our moods drop, but rather than sitting and letting them spiral out of control, start challenging them. For example, you may feel like you’re not capable in your job from time to time - but remind yourself YOU got that job, and you earned it. Somebody else saw in you that you were in fact capable. Adjust your thoughts, tip them on their head and look at the positive side. It all comes down to celebrating the small stuff, e.g. getting that job in the first place, which seems pretty basic in the scheme of things, but reinstates that those low self esteem thoughts mean nothing. 

• Give yourself a challenge

We know you can’t just change your mind set like that, these things take time and are a continuous process. However, you can set yourself achievable goals to allow yourself to take control again. By setting goals such as attending a new workout class or taking on a new hobby, in turn this will raise your self esteem when you follow through with it as it reinforces that you are more than capable of doing the things you love and want to do. Low self esteem may make these things harder to take part in, but it also means you’ll feel even better than the average person once you’ve completed it. 

YOU GOT THIS X