Undoubtedly, we can say that many people reading this post might not know what self-esteem is. They might have heard the term but never googled it to learn more. It's a human tendency. We tend to overlook these things, negatively impacting ourselves.
What you think about yourself or what opinion you have of yourself is self-esteem. It’s something where you judge yourself and act accordingly instead of other’s judgment.
If your self-esteem is high or healthy, you consider yourself valuable. You think positively about yourself considering some of your positive qualities. Healthy self-esteem is good for you. But, if you have low self-esteem, you see yourself and your future more negatively and critically. You feel anxious, sad, low, or unmotivated. The worst thing is you doubt yourself when you encounter challenges. Instead of your positive qualities, you only think of negative qualities and de-motivating things.
Do you know why it is important to understand self-esteem? It’s because your self-esteem affects how you live your life. If you have low self-esteem, you will always try pleasing others and end up feeling low and anxious if things don't go accordingly. It’s not good for your present as well as your future.
Some common reasons for low self-esteem
- Experiences such as punishment, abuse, or neglect
- Insufficient warmth, affection, praise, love, or encouragement
- Failure to meet other people’s expectations
Other than this, social relationships, socioeconomic status, work success, stressful life and events, cultural context, gender, and ethnicity are the reasons for low self-esteem.
Treatments to boost low self-esteem
Psychological treatments
Not one or two, but there are several psychological treatments that top psychologists in London use to treat low self-esteem. But, many research studies have shown that Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective treatments for the same.
The CBT therapists try to know the reason for low self-esteem as well as focus on what is keeping it going and what they can do to put it out. They forget the past and focus on the present and future.
What makes CBT therapy an effective treatment for low self-esteem?
The top psychologists in London follow the following steps to make CBT therapy effective for low self-esteem:
- Identify your core beliefs
- Identify your rules for living
- Develop healthier or more flexible rules and beliefs
- Test your negative predictions through behavioral experiments
- Replace self-criticism with self-compassion
- Guide you to live in line with your new core beliefs
Benefits of CBT therapy for low self-esteem
- You discover how certain thoughts and behaviors start the cycle of low self-esteem and ways to turn it.
- You learn how certain situations trigger negative thought patterns and behaviors and ways to prevent them in your future.
- You discover new ways of thinking and behaving to break from feeling bad and develop the confidence to feel good about yourself.
- You learn strategies to deal with life’s challenges confidently and enjoy life’s pleasures
Are there any medical treatments for low self-esteem?
No, there aren’t any recommended medical treatments for low self-esteem. If low self-esteem is accompanied by other problems such as anxiety or depression, medical treatments are recommended.
If you have low self-esteem, you can try CBT therapy from one of the top psychologists in London.
