We have all had those days when we lack confidence and feel bad about ourselves and our lives. This becomes a major problem when it is a normal occurrence which causes harmful effect to our mental health and our day to day life.
Low self-esteem is the greatest distraction that prevents you from really being happy and achieving your goals in life. Recent studies show that low self-esteem leads to problems that can affect everything in your life from career to your relationships.
Here is how you can solve some of the most common problems associated with poor self-esteem:
1. Love Yourself More
When you find that you constantly can’t stand your thoughts and actions is a common sign of low self-esteem. This is characterized by having a negative self-image and feeling angry and frustrated. There is a negative voice in your head always criticizing everything you do and not forgiving yourself for even the smallest mistake.
You can rise above this by silencing the negative voice in your head and deliberately repeating a positive response for every negative thought you may have. Remind yourself that nobody is perfect and learn to forgive you. Celebrate all your successes without trying to belittle them no matter how small they may appear to you.
2. Know your Strengths
When you have low self-esteem you will most likely have a negative body image. You are constantly comparing yourself to others noticing even the smallest faults in your body. This creates insecurities which affect your relationship and how you project yourself at work. It can also cause you to stop taking care of yourself since you feel like it is not worth trying.
You can solve this by first stopping comparing yourself to others. Know that everyone is different and we all have our different strengths and weakness. Learn where your strengths lie and focus on them. Look after your physical health by eating healthily and having a daily exercise routine. Make a conscious plan to look after your appearance.
3. Learn to Say ‘No’
When you don’t love yourself you are likely to believe that other people will also not like you. So you will likely go out of your way to do things for others because you feel is the only way that you can get them to like you. You will find yourself overstretching to please others that you don’t find time to do your own thing, therefore, affecting your mental health. This will leave you feeling used and aggrieved.
Although it is good to offer a helping hand, you should also learn to set boundaries and decide what you can and cannot do. Your worth doesn’t depend on other people’s approval, therefore, you shouldn’t agree to do things that you don’t want to do just so others will like you. Learn to say “No” and stick to your decision.
4. Go Easy on Yourself
When you have low self-esteem, you live with this constant fear of failure because no matter what you do, however impressive, is just not good enough for you. You find yourself stressing over the smallest problems and therefore forget to celebrate your big successes and accomplishment.
You can get over this perfectionist obsession by setting realistic expectations for yourself and remember that you are only human. Remember that failing at something does not make a failure as a person. Set your focus on the bigger accomplishments and celebrate that.
5. Don’t Be too Sensitive
You get easily hurt and angered by any comment or criticism directed at you. You start feeling that others don’t respect you and that your feelings aren’t important to them. This hurt and anger turn to feelings of resentment against everyone around you.
You can turn this around by learning to differentiate between constructive criticisms and comments that are not true. Learn to make the necessary changes if the criticism is meant as a constructive one and also learn to move on. If the comment is unfair, learn to stand for yourself and say you disagree.
A healthy self esteem is primarily determined by how you perceive yourself. When you set your thoughts to feel positively about yourself and life in general, you will be able to overcome everything that comes your way.