How does having low self-esteem affect your life? I believe it does more than just affect how you feel about yourself but how others perceive you. So, this may be one of the most important questions you’ll ever ask.
So, what affects your self-esteem? Well, I’ll let you into a little secret. It’s not what happens to us but what we do with what happens to us. Most people have little faith in their own abilities, so they’ll either act like it doesn’t matter or try to convince themselves that they have no ability. And that’s where our low self-esteem comes from.
Our beliefs about ourselves, others and life in general are formed by our early years. I was raised to think that I didn’t matter, that I didn’t have any value and that I deserved whatever fate happened to me. As a result I’m afraid to trust other people, particularly those of the opposite sex, and I have a very distorted view of myself. If I meet somebody that I believe could be a potential partner, I will usually steer clear of them like the plague.
Do you find yourself being paranoid and depressed a lot? Do you constantly wonder what could go wrong? If you answered yes to these questions, then you may have a low self-esteem. Your anxiety about your behavior and thoughts is magnified by your negative interpretation of things and this can lead to extreme reactions such as depression.
The reason you have a distorted view of yourself is because you’ve been misinformed and your information has been false. You may not know how to fix your self-esteem but you can learn how to regain your confidence. You have to first take an honest self-examination of yourself and ask yourself what you’re really worth. This involves looking at your weaknesses objectively, finding out your biggest weaknesses, and then working to eliminate these weaknesses.
What this does is it helps you focus on your strengths, and this in turn gives you more confidence and self-esteem. To do this you must start with your strengths. Once you’ve identified your greatest strength, you’ll need to work on your weaknesses. For instance, if you are a sloppy dresser, then you’ll need to improve your posture so that you look slimmer. By improving your posture, you’ll instantly eliminate one of the main reasons why you’re self-conscious about your appearance.
Next, once you have improved your self-image and you feel better about yourself, you’ll need to take action to move forward. If you don’t do this, your self-esteem will still be low because you’ll be living in the past. Focus on the future and on creating a better life for yourself and others by finding a great purpose in life and developing skills to get it done. You can do this by excelling in school, making great relationships, loving your job, having a healthy and balanced diet, learning a new hobby, joining a community group, or getting involved in a new religious group.
Finally, the last step of what affects self-esteem is by trying to figure out how you can change other people’s perception of you so that they see you in a different light. For instance, if you’re a sloppy dresser, then maybe you can wear a button-down shirt to make a statement. If you’re a late bloomer, then perhaps a short haircut would do the trick. Whatever you do, just keep improving yourself, and remember that confidence goes a long way. The more you try and do to improve your self-image and confidence, the better the results will be.