Lack of self-esteem: How can it be overcome?

Lack of self-esteem is a common problem, which people face throughout their lives. Mainly, by negative thoughts or bad perceptions about themselves that cause inadequate attitudes to achieve their goals and objectives.

This causes a series of consequences, such as suffering from insecurity when making decisions, social isolation, nervousness, anxiety and many more, which prevent people from feeling fully good about themselves and their environment.

In this article, you will find the necessary information about the causes that cause the absence of self-esteem in people, as well as the different characteristics they present and the ways to overcome it.

What is lack of self-esteem?

Lack of self-esteem is when people don’t perceive themselves as valuable, constantly think negatively, and are afraid of society for being victims of criticism or rejection.

Astudyconducted at theUniversidad Iberoamericana, also defines the lack of self-esteem as the devaluative thinking that people have, thus causing depression, shyness and social isolation.

Causes of lack of self-esteem

The lack of self-esteem in people is due to one or several causes that have happened at some point in their lives, which originated their negative attitudes and thoughts, among which we can highlight the following:

Parenting environment

The nurturing environment in which people have grown up significantly affects their self-esteem if they were in troubled homes. Experiences such as punishment, verbal or physical abuse, and criticism, influence that they have a bad perception of them.

Astudyconducted at theNiño Jesús University Hospital confirms that a poor parenting environment contributes to children having low self-esteem and depression, because they cannot verbally express their feelings andemotions.

Traumatic situations

Traumatic situations cause a state of fear in people, who live in fear of reliving that past experience that made them suffer. This results in personality changes such as low self-esteem, depression andanxiety .

Difficulties to socialize

Difficulties in socializing are caused by a lack of social skills, which influence a person’s personality , causing shyness, multiple complexes and low self-esteem due to not being able to relate satisfactorily with others.

Irrational Fears

Irrational fears or phobias in people cause their personal relationships and low self-esteem to be affected. Although they may be aware of them, they fail to overcome them, entering a constant depression for it.

Psychological and hormonal disorders

They are a set of symptoms caused in people by fears or diseases that generate negative thoughts or attitudes. Insecurity, anxiety, depression, isolation, low self-esteem, and alcoholism are some of them.

Characteristics of a person with low self-esteem

People who have a lack of self-esteem have a series of characteristics that make their lousy attitude and low self-assessment frequently noticeable. Some of these being the following:

They have difficulty making decisions

The lack of self-esteem in people makes it difficult to make decisions due to the little confidence and insecurity they have. When they have to choose between two or more options, they get blocked for fear of choosing the wrong one.

They do not value their qualities and talents

The non-valuation of their own qualities and talents are a sign in people with low self-esteem, because they spend most of the time thinking that their abilities are not enough compared to others, so that it prevents them from advancing.

They do not take risks or take the initiative

The lack of self-esteem in people prevents them from taking risks or initiatives to start projects or personal ventures that drive them to success, since they are afraid of failure or that they will be criticized by society.

Suffer from anxiety and nervousness

Suffering from anxiety and nervousness are one of the most common problems that people with low self-esteem have to face. The most frequent symptoms are difficulty sleeping, fear, irritability and lack of concentration.

They isolate themselves from the rest

People with a lack of self-esteem tend to isolate themselves from the rest of society, since they do not want to interact frequently with others. This may be because it causes them pain or discomfort at the time of doing so.

ToStudy on social isolation and loneliness proves that this act is carried out by people suffering from depression and low self-esteem, since they prefer to have the slightest intimate or relational contact with society.

They are very dependent on others

Another of the characteristics of the lack of self-esteem in people is that they are very dependent on those with whom they feel calm and stable. So they feel embarrassed, uncomfortable and anxious when you are not with them.

they blame themselves too much

Guilt about themselves is frequent when people have low self-esteem, since they regret a lot about the actions they did when they don’t go well, which leads them to value themselves negatively.

They are pessimistic and negative

Pessimism and negativity is a characteristic that a person with a lack of self-esteem has about most things. They think and judge that everything they do will go wrong and they will be against them.

ToStudy carried out at the National Autonomous University of Mexico agrees that pessimism causes despair in people to do any activity or challenge, even if they were possible to succeed with a little effort.

They find it difficult to admit their mistakes and accept criticism

People who have a lack of self-esteem do not want to admit mistakes or accept criticism from society, for fear of being exposed with their wrong actions and opinions that affect their personal image.

How to overcome the lack of self-esteem?

Knowing how to overcome the lack of self-esteem is necessary to achieve full and satisfactory emotional stability, in order to lead a better life, which is based on psychological efforts, but that can be achieved. These being the following:

Accept yourself as you are

A first step to overcome a lack of self-esteem is to accept ourselves as we are, so that we do not have to think and act negatively about ourselves. In this way we can gain a little more confidence and security.

Treat each other well and respect each other

It is important to respect and treat ourselves well, in this way we can compensate for the lack of self-esteem.

Therefore, it is necessary to value personal care, in terms of image, time, work and attitude, in order to have a more positive personality.

Forgive mistakes and learn from them

Another way to overcome our lack of self-esteem is by forgiving the mistakes we have made, and reflecting on them, in order to gain an experience, in order not to carry out such actions again and be wiser for the next situation.

Avoid comparing yourself to others

We must avoid the comparison we make with other people. Not valuing the work we do and what we have achieved with so much effort would be an unfair attitude against ourselves.

Recognize the qualities and virtues

To strengthen our self-esteem, we must accurately recognize the qualities and virtues we possess, so we can help more people with our abilities. In this way, we will feel much better about ourselves.

Highlight your own identity

Highlighting our own identity is necessary to know ourselves, so we can appreciate our individuality. Once this is achieved, it will be possible to express what we want with total freedom and respect that of others.

Disengage from negative thoughts

It is very important to disassociate yourself from the negative thoughts that we have, especially if they are about ourselves, since we unconsciously convince ourselves that we are worthless to society when it turns out to be the opposite.

Take care of physical health

Taking care of our physical health is important to overcome a lack of self-esteem, this helps us reduce stress, be in a good mood, avoid fatigue, and the risk of illness or infection.

Set goals and focus on them

Setting achievable goals and focusing on them is a good way to overcome a lack of self-esteem. This gives us a life purpose, and once achieved, we feel a sense of triumph and satisfaction in ourselves.

Experience new things

Trying new things is a good way to overcome self-esteem, since this stimulates its increase, for the reason that when perceiving other experiences, it favors positive thinking and the initiative to take risks.

Determine what can and cannot be changed

Determining what can and cannot be changed reflects a different perception of life from the one we had, making us feel more encouraged and secure. This begins by identifying wounds, hatred or resentments from the past, in order to move forward.

Express ideas and opinions without fear

Being able to express ideas and opinions without fear, makes us have a better self-esteem and stimulates the thought of different things. What favors when interacting with other people, since we will feel more secure.

Carry out social work

Carrying out social work allows us to better understand society and the environment that surrounds us, thus favoring our self-esteem, since it makes us be kinder, Grateful for things and with satisfaction for helping others.

Surround yourself with positive and genuine people

Surrounding yourself with positive and genuine people is a great way to overcome low self-esteem, since they will value you, respect you, and make you a better person. Therefore, look for a circle of friends in which you feel comfortable and help you progress.