Ongoing stress, unpleasant events or trauma can affect our self-esteem and our self confidence. For example, you may experience bullying at school or at work and struggle to want to go to school and feel no one understands what you are going through.
When we start to lose our confidence we can lose faith in our judgments and in our decision making. We may begin to feel unworthy and start to withdraw from friends and family. These responses and how we cope can affect our relationships with those around us and add to our feelings of low self-worth.
Sometimes low self-esteem may manifest as:
- Negative thoughts and beliefs
- Low opinion of self
- Self doubt
- Seeking out reassurance from others
- Self criticism
- Need for perfectionism
- Avoidance
If this sounds familiar to you and you feel ready to build your self-esteem and take control of your life, then maybe now is the time for you to take those first steps and see if counselling can help you.