Self Esteem
Self esteem is how we feel about ourselves. It is the true value we place upon ourselves.
Self-esteem is very important because it affects how we think, how we act and how we relate to other people. Positive self-esteem allows us to live life to our potential.
Low self esteem means poor confidence and that also causes negative thoughts which can often mean that we are likely to give up easily rather than face challenges.
All people have a mental picture of themselves. This mental picture is called the self-concept or self-image. It is formed through learned experiences beginning at birth. No one is born with a self-image. Through experiences and interactions with other people, especially family members, young children develop an internal picture of themselves and come to place a value on it.
Parental attitudes and behavior heavily influence the development of self-esteem in young children. Supportive parental behavior, including expressing realistic, age-appropriate expectations, encouraging children to try new things, praising their efforts, and refraining from comparing a child to siblings or other children are powerful factors in the development of high self-esteem in early childhood.
Children are also affected by the parents' own attitudes toward success and failure and how the parents feel about themselves.
Even though everything we think, feel, do and be is based upon it, our self-image, and our level of self-esteem, can be predominantly unconscious to us.
Low self-esteem manifests in many ways:
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Being fear-based
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Having a pattern of being bullied, controlled, ignored or disrespected
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Self-depreciating thoughts and inner experiences
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Self-sabotaging decisions and behaviours
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Lack of agency
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Choosing inappropriate partners
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Lack of authenticity, lying, deception
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Withdrawal, isolating and lack of intimacy
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Consistent financial struggle
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Consistent doubt and indecision
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Consistent feelings of shame or rejection
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Displays competence but inside feels like a fake or a fraud