Self Esteem Help Brisbane

Self-esteem is your opinion of yourself. This opinion of yourself can directly impact your overall emotional and mental wellbeing.

This is why a healthy self-esteem is necessary for a happy and successful life.

We can all be critical of ourselves from time to time, but if you constantly judge yourself or think critically of yourself often, you may have low self-esteem. Though low self-esteem is not categorised as a mental health condition – there are links to support that how we feel about ourselves affects our overall quality of life. Self-esteem and self-confidence are different, as confidence relates to a particular area of an individual’s life. This means, you can still be confident but have low self-esteem. Low self-esteem can come from a multitude of reasons. However, don’t worry – there are steps to improve your self-esteem!

CHARACTERISTICS OF LOW SELF-ESTEEM

Some common characteristics of low self-esteem are:

• Feelings of sadness, depression, anxiety, worthlessness, or anger
• Overly upset by criticism
• Avoid challenging self to avoid the possibility of failure
• Blaming self when things go wrong
• Focusing on the negatives and dismissing achievements
• Being highly critical of self
• Ignores positive attributes about themselves.
• Judges self and feels inferior to peers
• Demonstrates negative self-talk to themselves

WHAT CAUSES LOW SELF-ESTEEM?

Low self-esteem can develop in many different parts of our lives. Most commonly, low self-esteem develops in childhood, especially if you were raised with a critical parent or had negative experiences with other children. Each of these experiences can lead an individual to believe core negative beliefs about themselves. Further causes of low self-esteem can include:

• Stressful life events, such as an unhappy relationship, poor treatment from colleagues or financial troubles
• Poor academic performance in school
• Mental illness, including anxiety or depression
• Medical problems such as chronic pain, or a serious/chronic illness.
• Social Media
• Bullying, in childhood and adolescents

WHAT CAN A LOW SELF-ESTEEM EFFECT?

Research indicates there is a link between low self-esteem, mental health issues and poor quality of life. A low self-esteem can mean difficulty in relationships and problems with day to day life. Further, it can mean a lack of self-care or over-compensating by being perfectly groomed at all times. Low self-esteem can affect major parts of your life including:

• Poor Relationships
• Drinking excessively, or doing drugs
• Mental health issues, such as depression & anxiety

HOW CAN I IMPROVE MY SELF-ESTEEM?

You may have heard it before, but positive self-talk is necessary to improve self-esteem. Yes, we mean talking to yourself, out loud or in a mirror! It is difficult to stop the negative self-talk, but a great start is identifying when the self-talk becomes negative. Every time you criticise yourself, stop and think if it is valid. Nearly all self-talk is unfounded! Next time you start to think critically and negatively, think:

Would I say this to my best friend?

Treat yourself as your best friend because you are your own best friend! Be caring, accepting, and understanding the same way you would treat your best friend. Other beneficial and necessary tips to improving self-esteem include:

• Talking to yourself positively daily
• Don’t compare yourself!
• Don’t sweat the small stuff
• Acknowledge the positive, and not just the negative
• Appreciate yourself and notice your positive attributes
• Get moving – exercise!
• Have fun – life is short!

These tips can difficult if you can’t talk positively to yourself. That’s okay! It is a skill that can be developed. If your low self-esteem continues, you can talk to your GP or reach out to a skilled psychologist to walk you through strategies to improve your self-talk and self-esteem.

Both our Brisbane and Gold Coast offices have knowledgeable and professional psychologists that are excited and motivated to help you find a healthy self-esteem and start living your life without the stress of feeling down about yourself! Please download our referral form here and take it with you to your GP appointment for preparation of a referral.

Contact us now via telephone or online enquiry via referral form here. You can also call our offices and our lovely administration team can book you in with the best psychologist to suit needs. Take that leap!

Coomera – (07) 5551 0251

Nerang – (07) 5668 3490

Mount Gravatt – (07) 3102 1366

If you, or someone you know, require help, please reach out to organisations like Beyond Blue. Additionally reach out to these organisations that may be able to help:

• Lifeline 13 11 14 — for anyone in crisis
• ReachOut (youth mental health service) — online help
• SANE Australia — call 1800 187 263
• Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia (MIFA) — call 1800 985 944

(Health Direct, 2020).

If this is an emergency, please contact 000 or visit your local emergency department.

Disclaimer: Firstly, content on this website is provided for education and information purposes only and is not intended to replace advise from your doctor or registered health professional. Lastly, readers are urged to consult their registered practitioner for diagnosis and treatment for their medical concerns.

REFERENCES

Health Direct. (2020). Self-esteem and mental health. Health Direct. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/self-esteem

Better Health. (2022). Self Esteem. Better Health Channel. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/self-esteem