Self-Esteem and Empowerment

“I feel so shy and awkward around others. Most days I’d just rather be by myself.”

“I obsess over every mistake I make - my inner critic just won’t shut up and let me be!”

“There are so many things I want to accomplish…but something keeps holding me back.”

“I’m so envious of people who can just go out there and make things happen in their lives.”

What is self-esteem?

Self-esteem is the opinion we have of ourselves.

People with a healthy self-esteem think positively about themselves, feel competent in various areas of their lives, are aware and accepting of any flaws or shortcomings they may have, and are optimistic about their future.

On the other hand, people with low self esteem are very critical about themselves, are more negative about their qualities and abilities, and generally feel pessimistic about how their lives will unfold.

Self esteem exists on a spectrum, and can vary depending on which aspect of your life you are considering: professional skills, body image, social life, intellectual abilities, sports performance and so on.

Origins of self-esteem

Having and maintaining positive self-esteem is something that we learn.

The environment we grow up in plays a major role in the thoughts and beliefs we have about ourselves. The people who form our most important early relationships – parents, teachers, coaches, friends – give us a lot of feedback about our “worth”.

When that feedback is consistently positive, realistic and constructive, we are more likely to develop a healthy self-esteem. On the other hand, if we receive constant criticism, or even abuse or bullying, our self-esteem will suffer.

Other important factors can also strengthen or diminish our self esteem, including messages from the society we live in. The way you value yourself may be impacted by whether you identify with a group that benefits from privilege or suffers from discrimination, or how closely your body type fits social norms around beauty and ability.

Self-Esteem and Empowerment

Raising your self-esteem can help you develop a strong sense of who you are, what you are worth and what you are capable of achieving.

This in turn can empower you to take action in any area of your life that you feel requires a change of direction, be it a career choice or relationship matter, or wider issues such as social justice or climate action.

Psychotherapy and self-esteem

It is crucial to address any negative distortions you may have around your worth: if they are not addressed, they can lead to serious mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, destructive behavior, or relationship issues.

If you feel your negative view of yourself is bringing you down, you may benefit from having a supportive and caring therapist guide you to a more realistic sense of self.

Psychotherapy can help you identify distorted beliefs about yourself and any patterns in thinking and behavior that are reinforcing these negative beliefs.

Through psychotherapy we can work on shifting from negative views of yourself to a more realistic and authentic sense of who you are.

We will look at where your strengths lie so that your beliefs better fit your qualities and abilities. And we will work on helping you take action towards a more authentic and fulfilling life.

FIND OUT MORE

If you’d like to find out more about how therapy can support you develop a healthy self-esteem and sense of empowerment, please get in touch.

You can also take part in my Wellbeing Workshops where we work on different aspects of mental, emotional, and relational wellbeing.

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