Self-Esteem in Lexington, Richmond & Frankfort KY


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What is Self-Esteem?


Self-esteem is your overall opinion of yourself and how you feel about your abilities and limitations. Self-esteem begins to form in early childhood and can be influenced by the following factors:

 

  • Your own thoughts and perceptions
  • How other people react to you
  • Experiences at home, school, work and in the community
  • Illness, disability or injury
  • Culture or religion
  • Role and status in society
  • Media messages

 

When you have healthy self-esteem, it means you have a balanced, accurate view of yourself. You feel good about yourself and see yourself as deserving the respect of others. When you have low self-esteem, you focus on your perceived weaknesses and faults and you put little value on your opinions, ideas, skills and assets. You typically believe that others are more capable or successful. People suffering from low self-esteem also fear failure, which can hold you back from succeeding at work or school. 



Signs & Symptoms


People with an unhealthy self-esteem are more likely to:

 

  • Be socially withdrawn
  • Lack social skills and self-confidence. 
  • Experience depression, anxiety, and emotional turmoil
  • Suffer from eating disorders
  • Be unable to accept compliments or to see themselves fairly
  • Accent the negative
  • Exaggerate concern over what you imagine other people think
  • Treat themselves badly but NOT other people, while worrying whether they have treated others badly
  • Be reluctant to take on challenges, put themselves first, or to trust their own opinion.
  • Expect little out of life for themselves

 


People with a healthy self-esteem are more likely to be:

 

  • Assertive in expressing their needs and opinions
  • Confident in their ability to make decisions
  • Able to form secure and honest relationships and less likely to stay in unhealthy ones
  • Realistic in their expectations and less likely to be overcritical of themselves and others
  • More resilient and better able to weather stress and setbacks
  • Less likely to experience feelings such as worthlessness, guilt and shame
  • Less likely to develop eating disorders

 


Diagnosis & Treatment Options


When suffering from low self-esteem, it is important to recognize thought patterns that can lessen self-esteem, as listed below:

 

  • All-or-nothing thinking. You see things as either all good or all bad. 
  • Mental filtering. You see only negatives and dwell on them, distorting your view of a person or situation. 
  • Converting positives into negatives. You reject your achievements and other positive experiences by insisting that they don't count. 
  • Jumping to negative conclusions. You reach a negative conclusion when little or no evidence supports it. 
  • Mistaking feelings for facts. You confuse feelings or beliefs with facts. 
  • Negative self-talk. You undervalue yourself, put yourself down or use self-deprecating humor. This can result from overreacting to a situation, such as making a mistake. 
  • In order to boost your self-esteem, try these tips: 
  • Replace negative or inaccurate thoughts with accurate, constructive thoughts.
  • Use hopeful statements.
  • Forgive yourself.
  • Avoid ‘should’ and ‘must’ statements.
  • Focus on the positive.
  • Relabel upsetting thoughts.
  • Encourage yourself.
  • Set realistic expectations.
  • Stop comparing yourself to others.

 

There Is Hope!


Self-esteem affects virtually every facet of your life. Maintaining a healthy, realistic view of yourself isn't about blowing your own horn. It's about learning to like and respect yourself — faults and all. For more information on self-esteem, set up an appointment to meet with us today, or visit the websites below.


http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/self-esteem/art-20047976?pg=2



http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/self-esteem/art-20045374




New Client Info
Lexington, KY

Darby Creek Location
501 Darby Creek Road
Suite 11
Lexington KY, 40509
Phone: 859-338-0466
Fax: 859-294-0802
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