Low Selfsteem? 16 Signs That Indicate A Lack Of Self-esteem

Nowadays there are more and more people who suffer from a low self-esteem Despite this, many of them do not consider changing their situation because sometimes we see self-esteem as a part that cannot be changed.

How do I know if I have low self-esteem?

There are many differences between people with low and high self-esteem. In fact, lack of self-esteem It can be perceived in many aspects of our daily lives as it affects our attitude and behaviors. Mainly, people with self-esteem problems usually have the following traits:

1. Negative approach: The people with healthy self-esteem They tend to focus on growing and improving when faced with a challenge. On the other hand, those with low self-esteem have a tendency to focus their attention on trying not to make mistakes in their lives.
2. Concern about failure: Unlike the people with healthy self-esteem people with self-esteem problems may feel more worried about failures and tend to exaggerate events as if they were negative.
3. Social difficulties: People with low self-esteem They are also more likely to suffer from social anxiety as well as experience difficulties when interacting with others. The reason for this may be the pessimistic attitude and lack of criticism that often comes with having very low self-esteem.
4. Unsafety: Have low self-esteem It is also synonymous with suffering from various insecurities. In fact, those who suffer from it may avoid certain situations because of it.
5. Negative attitude: Another of the low self-esteem problems is that people often act in a negative way because they have a poor perception of themselves. In many cases, this type of attitude is due to the poor self-perception or image that people have of them.
6. Unmotivated: Motivation and self-esteem are also closely related. So much so, that those who have low self-esteem They often experience a lack of motivation due to fear of failure or the feeling that they do not have enough skills to be able to perform certain tasks.
7. Dependence: When a person does not love themselves or does not have enough confidence in their abilities, they usually look to others to make the decisions that they should make or avoid time alone.
8. Bad communication: One of the main characteristics of people who suffer from a lack of self-esteem is precisely the inability to be able to say the things they think or believe in front of others.
9. Lack of trust: When a person has a low selfsteem He tends to constantly mistrust his abilities and abilities, holding back everything he could be or do.

These are some of the traits that can help you identify if you really you have low self-esteem Even so, if you think that your level of self-esteem is causing you discomfort, it is important that you go to a professional psychologist.

Symptoms of low self-esteem

There are some symptoms with which we can detect a self-esteem unhealthy. Although most of these signs of low self-esteem are quite well known, the reality is that there are some problems that are not detected at first glance.

1. Lack of trust: One of the best known symptoms for low self-esteem It is precisely suffering from a lack of self-confidence. Not having confidence means that we cannot develop our full potential, making it difficult for us to achieve our purposes and successes.
2. Think too much: Recurrent thoughts, as well as excess mental activity, is one of the most common signs of a person with low self-esteem or even very low self-esteem. This is because people who suffer from it focus on mistakes and remembering bad past experiences.
3. Fear of challenges: Most people who have a lack of selfesteem They are afraid to accept the challenges they put before us. In this way, people with low self-esteem end up avoiding leaving their comfort zone precisely because of the fear of not being able to overcome small and large challenges.
4. Self-critics: The self-esteem problems Many times they arise due to the perfectionist and critical face of a person. On many occasions these individuals are judged in a very strict way. On the other hand, others are used to being put almost on a pedestal.
5. Anxiety and depression: In many cases, the lack of self-esteem ends up coming hand in hand with psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression. These diseases are closely related to enjoying a good or bad self-esteem
6. Work addiction: Many people who suffer from self-esteem problems They tend to focus on carrying out many tasks to try to demonstrate to others that they have a value that they do not give themselves. So much so that in most cases the lack of self-esteem is attempted to be remedied with excessive work, making it more difficult to solve the problem.
7. Lack of concentration: The low self-esteem seriously impairs an individual’s concentration. So much so that on many occasions people cannot develop all their skills well, causing them to never obtain good results.

The symptoms that we have mentioned are the easiest to see in a person who needs to recover their self-esteem. Despite all these signs already mentioned, there are other characteristics that may indicate a low self-esteem If you think you may be in this situation, a good way to get out of it is through the help of a psychologist.

Causes of low self-esteem

When someone has a low selfsteem, the causes are usually closely related to the negative experiences we have had during our childhood. Among the causes of lack of self-esteem we find the following.

• Frequent punishment
• Neglect in parenting (not being there for the child)
• chronic abuse
• A lot of demands on the part of parents
• Being bullied/boycotted
• High-stress environments
• Lack of praise, warmth and affection

These are some of the main causes of low self-esteem Childhood is the stage where our personality develops in most of its aspects. So much so that the way we are raised can affect what we think and how we are during adulthood. It is for this precise reason that childhood can greatly influence our self-esteem.

Depression and low self-esteem

Depression is one of the most diagnosed disorders in our 21st century society and although low self-esteem It cannot be diagnosed per se, but it can be said that it is a very common problem among us. In fact, most of my patients had poor self-esteem when they first came to therapy. And suffering from any disorder or continued difficulty causes us to believe little in ourselves, distrust our resources and feel useless or nullified, and therefore, our self-esteem drops.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatry (DSM-V), depression is considered a disorder, but low self-esteem is not, which is assessed as a symptom in several disorders. Thus, low self-esteem can be considered as a consequence of suffering from some psychological disorder, although the reality is that there does not necessarily have to be a disorder for it. suffer low self-esteem and this can be the cause of subsequent psychological disorders.

As to the self-esteem, it can be said that it is the basis of the perception we have of ourselves. This is forged from the experiences we live, that is, from the environmental factor as well as the people we surround ourselves with. If our parents lack self-esteem, probably as children we will also “inherit” that way of seeing life, through learning. Low self-esteem generates feelings of sadness, emptiness, frustration, guilt and helplessness. These feelings continue over time and end up causing depressive states.

Low self-esteem and anxiety

Many people who suffer from anxiety usually have a self-esteem problem The reason for this is that in these cases, intrusive and negative thoughts are experienced that end up deriving the confidence and security of the person who suffers from it. In this way, it is very common that people with anxiety also have a self-esteem deficit. To identify if your anxiety is due to a lack of self-esteem, there are a series of traits that will help you identify this situation:

• Getting stuck in rejection: If you often think about rejection and this limits the way you think and act, your anxiety may be related to having low self-esteem. This is because this habit can make us feel anxious and worried about the possibility of being excluded or that others will not like us. In fact, when this happens, one of the consequences of have low self-esteem It is precisely to seek acceptance from those people who despise you and downplay those who do care for you and love you for who you really are.
• Don’t take risks: The low self-esteem It generally means that people tend to experience a fear of taking risks or leaving their comfort zone. Over time, constantly being within our comforts can make you feel anxious.
• Perfectionism: The low self-esteem It can also cause people to emphasize what is wrong with them and their lives and downplay what is going well for them. Feeling like there is always a problem is also related to anxiety, since in many cases, you tend to have a constant need to try to ‘fix’ things.
• Not being focused on the present: People who are anxious due to self-esteem problems often replay events from the past that have been negative and ruminate on mistakes that may occur in the future. That is, they get stuck in their heads without being able to concentrate on the present moment.

If you feel identified with these signs, it is possible that your anxiety problem is related to a lack of selfesteem In this case, it will help you to go to a professional psychologist.

Consequences of low self-esteem

Not treating low self-esteem can impact many aspects of our lives. The people with low self-esteem They may be harmed in the following areas of their daily lives:

1. Negative feelings: The constant self-criticism of people with low self-esteem often leads to persistent feelings of sadness, depression, anxiety, anger, shame and/or guilt.
2. Relationship problems: Without healthy self-esteem, people may tolerate disrespectful behavior from others. In addition, a lack of self-esteem can also end up causing people to always be defensive or not tolerate constructive criticism.
3. Fear to fail: By doubting their abilities and avoiding challenges, people with low self-esteem can end up avoiding anything that is a change or challenge for them.
4. Perfection: When self-esteem problems exist, many individuals may try to become (superficially) ‘perfect’ to try to compensate for a feeling of inferiority.
5. Social phobia: Feeling bad about themselves, many people can avoid social interactions for fear of the judgments they may make.
6. Lack of resilience: A person with low self-esteem often finds it difficult to cope with a challenging life event because they do not believe in their own abilities.
7. Lack of self-care: People with low self-esteem can end up forgetting about themselves because