What exactly is self-esteem? In its simplest form, self-esteem is the assessment of one’s own worthiness. Self-worth encompasses various thoughts about oneself such as confidence, competence, ability, achievement, desirability, and social approval. A person’s sense of worthiness is not based on any objective standard that can be objectively proven. It is largely up to each person to decide what constitutes a high level of worth and how they define it personally.
One’s sense of self-worth can be affected by negative events in one’s life. Those events can range from physical hurt such as abuse, past failure at a task, or financial setbacks. They can also be related to ones upbringing, personality, or cognitive processes. The trauma and events in a person’s life can create a lasting impression on them and it can greatly alter their self-image. A person with a healthy sense of self-worth, who has experienced a traumatic event has an increased chance of developing healthy self-compassion and a positive outlook in life.
In addition to these life events, self-esteem can also be influenced by one’s attitude towards others and self concept. Self-evaluation, self-concept, and self-efficacy are all components of the self-image. Low self-esteem has been shown to have detrimental effects on a person’s self image. People with low self-esteem report being significantly less happy with life and having more negative feelings towards other people. Low self-esteem may also lead to depression, substance abuse, and other serious health problems.
To cultivate a healthy self-image and increase self-worth, we must first develop a healthy self-concept. A person’s self-concept can be influenced by how they perceive themselves and by how other people respond to them. It is important that we understand the link between self-esteem and self-image. If we accept our flaws, and if we learn to love and respect ourselves, then we will be able to build high self-confidence and increase our self-esteem.
Self-esteem and self-confidence are influenced by the amount of stress and anxiety we are faced with in our day-to-day lives. Low self- esteem and low self-confidence can be caused by a high degree of stress and a significant increase in anxiety. Research has shown that the self-concept we hold about ourselves can alter how we view ourselves when confronted with increased levels of stress. When a person views themselves as “less than,” they will perceive increased levels of stress as being worse than if they had viewed themselves as “more than.” Conversely, when they view themselves as “above average” they will see little change in their stress levels and will in fact perceive the increased level of stress as having no effect on their self-esteem.
A healthy and positive self-image is influenced by the amount of time and energy someone devotes to creating and maintaining a positive image in themselves and in the world. There are many ways to do this and one of the most popular ways is through building up high self- esteem and self- confidence through active participation in online communities. Through forums dedicated to health and wellness, you will be able to make new friends and gain access to the resources and support you need to develop your own sense of self. The support you will find in forums will help you build your self-esteem and you will also be exposed to experiences and challenges other sufferers have faced.
To work on changing your negative self-image, you need to develop a more positive mindset. In this case, you need to allow yourself to let go of unhealthy and toxic beliefs. These include: Being overly critical of yourself, holding negative thoughts about yourself and others, having unrealistic expectations and unrealistic goals, having unrealistic fears, and negative thoughts about things in general. Once you let go of these beliefs you will be better equipped to manage your stress, manage your environment better, understand yourself better, have a better understanding of your emotions, improve your relationships and enhance your self-image. With an improvement in your self-image, you will begin to see changes around you that will enable you to reach your full potential and improve your self-esteem.
In conclusion, you should know that healthy self-image and high esteem are closely intertwined with each other. Healthy self-image includes a healthy self-image in terms of physical appearance, but it is not limited to that. Healthy self-esteem also includes aspects such as positive psychology, optimism, courage, assertiveness and resilience, which are all related to your coping mechanism for stress and anxiety.