Self-esteem is how you think and feel about yourself. People with lower self-esteem might not feel much self-worth or like themselves very much and this can influence how they think, feel and behave. If you don’t feel very highly of yourself, you might not feel motivated to achieve, you might make choices based on what other people think and not prioritise your own needs.
In contrast, people with higher self-esteem feel confident in putting forward their thoughts and opinions, feel motivated to achieve goals even if they’re hard, acknowledge weaknesses but also know they have strengths and can put in boundaries (like saying ‘no’).
There are lots of reasons why people feel low self-esteem. Physical or mental illness can impact how we view ourselves, growing up in an environment where you were made to feel you weren’t good enough or just placing unnecessary pressure on ourselves to achieve or fit a certain mold.
Addressing the root cause of self-esteem is always favourable as normally it is also attached to another component of mental health such as depression or anxiety (See other resources on depression and anxiety). This is best carried out with the help of a professional such as a therapist or counsellor. However, there are resources like this book that you can explore at your own pace which will go some way in helping to identify and improve low self esteem – start by watching this great TED Talk that talks about Self-Worth which is at the root of Self-Esteem.
