What do you think of yourself? Are you… good enough? Have you ever thought to yourself, “everyone is doing better than me?” Do you celebrate your achievements or tend to think that you could’ve done better? If you feel like everyone is somewhat better than you, doubt your capabilities, or struggle to recognize your accomplishments, then the chances are that you have some self-esteem issues.
If such problems look familiar to you, keep in mind that you’re not alone. Millions of people struggle to recognize their own achievements and have a sense of low self-worth. Even those people who appear self-confident and happy often have self-esteem issues hidden behind a confident facade.
In this article, we will consider the connection between your self-esteem and self-pride and explore their effects on a person’s overall mental well-being. We will also think of how to improve self-esteem so that you can develop a healthy level of self-pride and build a more fulfilling relationship with yourself.
The role of self-esteem in mental health
First of all, what is self-esteem? Self-esteem is your subjective evaluation of your own worth. In other words, it’s what you think of yourself. And here’s an important detail: one’s self-esteem has nothing to do with one’s actual abilities, talent, appearance, etc.
Your self-esteem has a direct impact on your decision-making, so it can affect all areas of your life, with no exceptions. Not only does it determine how you value yourself, but it also influences your opinions about other people, priorities, and actions.
There are countless reasons why having low self-esteem is bad for you. Low self-esteem can contribute to depression and anxiety, and it may even evolve to a point where a person starts to engage in self-sabotage behavior, consciously or subconsciously avoiding good opportunities or putting other people’s interests first.
Self-pride & self-esteem
Self-pride is directly related to self-esteem because this term is used to describe a strong sense of self-worth. Self-pride doesn’t mean thinking that you’re better than others. It’s just about recognizing your strengths and accomplishments, as well as any traits and unique features that are worth celebrating. Besides, self-pride means embracing your weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
By cultivating healthy self-pride, you can build healthier relationships, avoid toxic people, and establish clear boundaries. You can also develop strong intrinsic motivation so that you won’t need other people’s approval to grow. Besides, self-pride helps develop a healthier relationship with your body, making you more likely to take good care of your health.
When to seek help for low self-esteem
Low self-esteem isn’t a mental disorder. It’s rather an unhelpful character trait. However, sometimes, low self-esteem may start to have too much of an impact on your quality of life, and that’s where therapy may come in handy. But how to understand whether or not you should consider self-esteem therapy?
The main sign of unhealthily low self-esteem is that it starts to influence your everyday life. For instance, you may find yourself stuck in unhealthy relationships, not feeling like you deserve better treatment. As a result, you may not recognize toxicity, abuse, or codependency in a relationship.
Low self-esteem also sets you up for failure. As a result, you may feel extremely nervous when it comes to working, and you may also curb your ambitions, thinking that you don’t deserve a raise or promotion.
Low self-esteem can also contribute to the development of various mental health problems, including depression and anxiety. As a result, it may lead to mood swings and make you feel overwhelmed, lonely, or frustrated. You may also constantly want to apologize for no reason and try hard to make people like you.
How to treat low self-esteem
Talk therapy has proven to be effective when treating a vast range of mental health issues, including low self-esteem and disorders associated with it. Depending on your specific symptoms and their severity, a therapist may choose different approaches and therapy modalities.
Here are some of the most common types of therapy used to treat low self-esteem.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
This is the most common type of therapy that has shown great results when treating self-esteem issues, as well as depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders that are often associated with low self-esteem.
The main idea behind CBT is that negative behaviors and emotions stem from unhelpful thinking patterns. The treatment process is aimed at helping a client identify these unhelpful thoughts, challenge them, and ultimately replace them with healthy thinking patterns.
Psychodynamic therapy
Psychodynamic therapy stems from Sigmund Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis. It’s based on the idea that certain traumatic experiences from the past may affect us in the future, influencing our decisions and perceptions.
Given that self-esteem issues are often rooted in past traumas and negative experiences, psychodynamic therapy can be very effective. However, this type of therapy is less problem-focused than CBT and may take more time.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
This type of therapy has a lot in common with CBT, but it’s used when replacing negative thoughts is particularly difficult. DBT aims to establish a balance between replacement and acceptance. Usually, DBT is used when dealing with severe mental disorders like a bipolar or borderline personality disorder.
Interpersonal therapy
If your self-esteem has a lot to do with the way you feel when you’re around other people, then interpersonal therapy may also be helpful. It’s often used when treating social anxiety, and it can help you develop communicative skills and learn to adapt to different social situations.
How to get help?
While traditional therapy requires clients to be present in a therapist’s office, online therapy platforms like Calmerry offer a more flexible option. You can schedule video calls with licensed therapists or even exchange text messages. There’s no need to commute – you can get help from the comfort of your home.
You deserve to feel loved and appreciated, especially by yourself. Don’t hesitate to ask for help if your self-esteem stops you from living a happier, more fulfilling life. Therapy can help, and it’s never been so accessible.
