Self Esteem & Mental Health

Self-esteem in itself may not be addressed as a mental health condition; however, plenty of evidences support the significant correlation between Self-esteem and mental health. Self-esteem denotes something which describes one’s own perception and evaluation of Self. “What” and “how” I feel about myself, will determine my Self-esteem. If I feel good about myself I will have high Self-esteem, if I feel bad about myself I will have low Self-esteem. Following are some characteristics that define characteristics of high and low Self-esteem:

Individuals who have high Self-esteem:

• Value themselves
• Know their potentials
• Adjust and cope according to the demand of situation
• Take criticism constructively
• Able to take decisions
• Trust their judgments
• Capable of being away from manipulations
• Explore and invent
• Open to new experiences

Individuals who have low Self-esteem:

• Perceive themselves worthless
• Do not have enough trust on their capacities
• Complain about adversities
• Unable to cope with stressful situations
• Highly sensitive to criticism
• Unable to make choices
• Suffer from indecisiveness
• Negative attitude about almost everything in general
• Blaming tendency
• Fear of failure

There might be other characteristics defining an individual’s high or low self-esteem; however, these are some of the most common features. It impacts individuals irrespective of their ages and gender in varying degrees. Also, if such issues are not addressed at the earliest, they may negatively impact one’s personal and professional life, and develop into severe mental health issues later. Depression and anxiety are the most common issues associated with low Self-esteem. Although it’s a vicious cycle and it’s difficult to affirm whether these conditions lead to low self esteem or low self esteem results in these conditions. In both the cases, if someone knows and understands the signs of low self esteem its important to visit a mental health professional for a thorough assessment and take appropriate action in this regard. If not identified and treated on time, these conditions may lead to severe outcomes like suicide. For example, any person who ever attempted to commit suicide or committed suicide, surely suffers from low self esteem where h/she finds him/herself incapable of coping with the adversity and consistently have a feeling of worthlessness. Go through all the characteristics listed under low self-esteem to have a clearer vision about the given example.

This condition often goes unnoticed or perceived as a temporary shortcoming of an individual; however, its often observed during treatment process. Psychotherapies are a proven way to make individuals perceive themselves differently and positively. Such treatment modalities work on restructuring schemas & thought processes, and help individuals to re-analyze and re-build their own perception of Self.

Feel free to share your experiences and queries related to this, or other mental health issues. Write us at info@talktocure.com

Thanks

Neelam Verma

Clinical Psychologist

Talk to Cure, Mental Health & Wellness Centre