Whether you like it or not, self-esteem plays a crucial role in your existence. How you value yourself and how you see your worth affects not just your physical activities but also your mindset.
People who have low self-esteem are likely to have a poor judgment of themselves and are at risk of not fulfilling their true potentials. A lack of self-confidence leads to an individual not pursuing personal goals or putting extra effort on their education, career, or even relationships.
Low self-esteem is more than just a feeling. It is a state of mind and can be easily changed. However, you can only improve your outlook in life and boost your confidence if you know the causes of low self-esteem.
Below are some common causes of low self-esteem. They can be your starting point for self-examination and improvement.
Critical Authority Figures
Growing with critical parents, guardians, or authority figures who are very disapproving will somehow affect your positive self-image. If you are frequently being criticized or still being carelessly judged by your authority figures, you should move away from them.
Toxic people with consistent and immutable harmful opinions about you might be causing your dwindling self-esteem. Stay away from them or confront them about what you are experiencing right now.
Body Image
Whether you are a teenager or a young adult, the opinion of other people about your body affects your self-confidence. Body image is a huge factor for self-confidence in today’s generation.
For women, their figure and body weight is the focal point of insecurities. As for men, hair loss is among the main concerns which cause distress and anguish.
However, there is no need to sulk and cry all day, for there are already available solutions that could enhance body image. As for men, balding can now be resolved by sophisticated and painless hair replacement procedures.
Women, on the other hand, might resort to diet, exercise, and advanced liposuction methods. With the advancement in technology today, improving one’s self-image is much easier. Hence, you should take advantage of it.
Society & Media
Whether you like it or not, you are influenced by the things you see online or in the movies. Digital media has shaped how we view ourselves and our self-valuing.
Seeds of low self-esteem are sown by some media programs blatantly showcase comparisons that somehow lead the populace, including yourself, to be self-conscious and even insecure to the point of losing self-esteem.
Wrong Belief System
One of the factors for low self-esteem is an improper belief system. This can be brought by religion, parenting, and even through own academic exploration.
Without proper guidance of authority figures, interpretation of scriptural texts and academic studies can bring about self-doubt, guilt, and ultimately low self-esteem.
For that matter, when a belief system puts you in a position to feel that you are continually committing mistakes, you should be wary about it.
Putting Pressure on Yourself
Last but not the least of the causes of low self-esteem is the unnecessary pressure you put on yourself. There are times when you can be too harsh on yourself, which sometimes leads to self-imposed stress.
When setting a goal, try to be realistic. By setting realistic goals, you can motivate yourself to do more and be more. Every time you succeed or achieve something, no matter how small the achievement is, always celebrate.
Do not be too harsh on yourself. Learn to celebrate small things and appreciate the beauty of life. This will help change the way you see yourself.
Knowing your worth and real value will improve your outlook on life and way of living. By changing some of the things mentioned above and redirecting your perspective in life, you will have a better future ahead of you.
However, other causes of low self-esteem are beyond repair. Some of these things might have caused emotional or psychological trauma. In this situation, learning to accept yourself is the best thing to do.
Self-acceptance is one of the ways to increase confidence. You have to remove the spectacles that society has given you and view yourself without the colored glasses of critical judgment and double standards.
Accepting that some aspects of life can’t be changed only means that you recognize who and what you are and then make the most of it.
