Daniel had always been an average student; he always managed to pass his examinations and move ahead but he was never the preferred individual for tasks or presentations. He was just existing without being noticed….
Seven years later, he was called by the Managing Director of the firm that he had shown initiative and brought in a lot of profit for the organization and therefore he is in charge of the sales team, he could not believe it; Daniel asked his boss if he was sure and that he did not think he is suitable for the position.
Self-esteem is how we value and perceive ourselves. It’s based on our opinions and beliefs about ourselves, which can feel difficult to change. We might also think of this as self-confidence. Your self-esteem can affect whether you like and value yourself as a person.
Low self-esteem is when someone lacks confidence about who they are and what they can do. They often feel incompetent, unloved, or inadequate. People who struggle with low self-esteem are consistently afraid about making mistakes or letting other people down.
How to identify if you are struggling with low self-esteem;
- saying negative things and being critical about yourself.
- joking about yourself in a negative way.
- focusing on your negatives and ignoring your achievements.
- blaming yourself when things go wrong.
- thinking other people are better than you.
- thinking you don’t deserve to have fun
Everyone deserves an opportunity to be themselves, you might not be the most intelligent or richest or smartest but that doesn’t mean you are not special and deserve an opportunity to showcase your talent/ ability. Just be kind to yourself and do not give yourself unnecessary pressure.
You can also try the following steps;
- Get to know yourself. For example, what makes you happy and what you value in life. …
- Try to challenge unkind thoughts about yourself. …
- Say positive things to yourself. …
- Practise saying no. …
- Try to avoid comparing yourself to others. …
- Do something nice for yourself.