How to cope with low self esteem | ALMA-BELLA
Everyone has their own opinion of the type of person that they are, these opinions are what make up self esteem. Some people may be extremely confident in the way they look and act, giving them high self esteem. Others may be nervous about how they come across to others, which is therefore low self esteem. You will find that your opinion of yourself differs throughout your life; depending on things that happen to you.
What causes low self esteem?
Life changes such as moving to a new area, changing job, breaking up from a relationship, other peoples' expectactions and losing or gaining weight, can all have a negative impact on our self esteem. We feel as though our confidence has been damaged and that can be a difficult thing to get away from. Although not necessarily a mental health disorder, poor opinions of yourself can lead to things such as anxiety, social anxiety, depression and eating disorders.
Sometimes even having a mental health disorder can cause low self esteem in itself. The stigma surrounding mental health can make it difficult for people to open up or be honest with friends and family. This causes us to keep quiet about things we may normally have spoken about before. In turn we become shy and that low self esteem kicks in, causing doubts about who we are as a person.
Coping methods for poor confidence
It's so important to look after ourselves, physically and mentally. Here are some of my personal top tips for remaining confident and dealing with any mental health issues which arise from low self esteem.
- Beautify yourself – This is always at the top of my list, because it really does work. A nice long bath, a pamper night, painting your nails, dressing up. All these things can have a really great impact on how confident you feel in yourself.
- Remind yourself how amazing you are – This may seem like a really odd thing to do, but I've found it has helped me out a lot! I put a list of positive attributes together, based on what friends and families have said to me. That list was then written up and stuck to my mirror, so that I can remind myself every day.
- Look after yourself physically – Physical health plays a big part in your mental health, so it's vital you look after yourself. Eating well, exercising and taking some 'me time' can reduce stress levels, improve confidence and make you feel better in yourself. This is particularly important if low self esteem ties in with eating disorder traits.
- Find like-minded people – One of the best ways to improve your confidence is by talking to people just like you! Sharing your story with like-minded people is a great way of boosting that self esteem. You'll find that everyone has their own ways of coping with things and sharing them can help you get through. Also, just getting that reassuring push from someone may be exactly what you need. It's great to realise you're not alone.
Minds Like Ours, a mental health organisation, was set up for that exact reason. We're a community run by people with mental health disorders (such as social anxiety and low self esteem) to provide support and raise awareness. Our forum is full of members who are going through many of the same things you may be going through. Just talking about them, and getting them in the open, is the first step to building your confidence back up.
Image sources:
http://mindslikeours.co.uk/get-support/
Thank you to Rebecca from Minds Like Ours for writing this amazing post.