Low Self-Esteem: Symptoms & Support in York, Manchester & online.

What is Low Self-Esteem?

Self-esteem relates to your overall sense of personal worth and value, so if you have low self-esteem then you may lack confidence in who you are and what you can do.

Self-esteem tends to dictate how deserving you feel you are of love, your feelings of competence and belonging, and the value of your own thoughts, goals, and interests. This impacts not only how you treat yourself, but also how you allow others to treat you.

Everyone will have experienced temporary moments of low self-esteem at points in their life, but for some it can be very damaging to their thoughts, behaviours and overall wellbeing.

 

Symptoms of Low Self-Esteem

Self-esteem has an important role in your ability to develop healthy, supportive relationships.

 

If you have Low Self-Esteem, then you may find that you:

Have low self-confidence

Talk negatively about yourself

Struggle accepting positive feedback

Have an intense fear of failure

Compare yourself to others who you think are better than you

Doubt your ability to make the right decisions

Feel that you have little control over your life

Are sensitive to criticism

Socially withdraw yourself

Seek external validation from people-pleasing behaviours

Neglect your own emotional and physical needs.

All of these tendencies stem from a lack of self-worth, often leading to feelings of:

Inadequacy

Incompetence

Guilt

Defensiveness

Embarrassment

Powerlessness

 

How to deal with Low Self-Esteem

Low self-esteem can take a significant toll on your emotional wellbeing, so it is important to find ways to improve your sense of self-value.

There are some helpful techniques which may help you gain confidence in yourself and your abilities, but remember building self-esteem does take time, so try to be patient and compassionate to yourself during the process.

Remind yourself that you deserve kindness, care and consideration by doing something that makes you feel good, whether it be eating your favourite meal, spending time with your friends, or doing exercise that feels good for your body. Investing time into your own care is not an indulgence or something you must earn; it is important to your physical and mental wellbeing.

Remember that it is okay to make mistakes – nobody is perfect, and you don’t need to be perfect to have value. Try to challenge your negative ‘self-talk’ – stop and look for objective evidence that your self-criticism is not true. Keeping a gratitude journal might help you reflect on your achievements and re-focus your mind on things to be thankful for. Acquiring and practicing new skills or maintain hobbies is another way you could try to boost your confidence and self-esteem.

 

How we can help with Low Self-Esteem

Struggling with low self-esteem and needing external support does not make you incompetent and is nothing to feel embarrassed about. It is normal to experience low self-esteem sometimes, but if these feelings start to disrupt your daily life and not ease through talking or exploring ways to help manage it, it may be time to seek professional help.

Our team of expert therapists can offer you a range of specialist psychological therapies to suit your needs. Our starting point for therapy is to offer an individual consultation to think with you about your worries or concerns and identify the approach to therapy that is most likely to help.

As an independent therapy service, we are delighted to be able to provide a highly personalised approach, informed by clinical research and best practice, professional expertise, and your own preferences.

We understand that seeking therapy can be daunting and that taking the first step can be challenging. We have a team of trained experts who can work with you to design a bespoke and flexible treatment that works best, which is available at our clinics in York, Manchester and online.

Please get in touch using the form below to find out more about how we can help.