Surely, you have ever wondered what self-esteem is and what it has to do with the person and especially with addiction problems. Well the answer is “a lot.” In fact, self-esteem is directly related to our feelings, our thoughts and our own perception of who we are.
Sometimes it can be more or less easy to determine if your self-esteem is at a specific level. However, it is very possible that even if you have it high, it is actually at a low level, but you refuse to see it and try to compensate for it. Addictions often cause low mood, and that can cause self-esteem to collapse
Is my self-esteem affected?
To know how to measure something it is necessary to be aware of what we measure. Now, below we leave you some questions so that you can elucidate the level of your self-esteem:
If your answer was “Yes” to most of the questions, it can be said that you have healthy self-esteem Otherwise, it would be good for you to learn to appreciate yourself, and if necessary, to seek specialized help for this. But also, if you suffer from an addiction and the answers have been affirmative, do not doubt that asking for advice is the best thing you can do.
Denial of the problem due to lack of acceptance and resistance to treatment for recovery is very common in addicted people In any case, if you have come this far you are one step away from changing your life, to savor freedom and well-being, with yourself and your loved ones. Trust the experts and don’t wait any longer to get out of the addictive maze, regardless of the answer to these questions. The self-deception characteristic of addiction always attempts to camouflage the reality of how you really perceive yourself.
Some keys about self-esteem
You should know that Self-esteem is influenced by many factors that can become determining factors Basically, external and internal factors influence self-esteem.
When we talk about external factors, we are referring to our personal and family relationships with other people, how they have treated us, what messages they have transmitted to us and the trust they have placed in us as individuals. That is, in the event that they have placed that trust, have made us see our positive aspects and minimized our defects, self-esteem will be high. However, if the circumstance has been the opposite (too many criticisms, judgments and demands), surely our self-esteem will be on the floor.
It is important to note that only if you have a reasonably healthy level of self-esteem can you help another person improve their self-esteem. It is logical to think that if yours is low, you cannot extol the virtues of another, or even see them It is a vicious circle that must be broken.
Regarding internal factors, genetics has a lot to say. There are many studies that suggest that Our personality traits have a lot to do with how we see ourselves People who tend to be depressed or suffer from anxiety generally have a harder time accepting themselves as they are and evaluating themselves positively. For this reason, these people are going to have to make a great effort to ensure that their self-esteem is at healthy levels.
So, and to conclude, we will say that self-esteem is the conjunction of both aspects, genetic inheritance and external factors This is what determines the real level.
Why do you have to have healthy self-esteem?
To this question, the answer can be that thanks to self-esteem, we can achieve three main benefits for our mental health.
First of all, Having good self-esteem allows us to better cope with the difficulties we encounter in life By perceiving ourselves positively, we are better able to trust ourselves to overcome those obstacles. We will be more decisive.
Secondly, we will have the ability to continue advancing in pursuit of our objectives with greater possibilities of achieving them We will be believing in ourselves and that will allow us to get closer to what we want in a more sincere and realistic way. It will make us more capable.
Relationships with others will be healthier. High self-esteem will allow us avoid toxic relationships and excessively dependent. We will be able to choose who we want in our lives and the contact with them will be what we want to have. We will be happier.
How can we achieve good self-esteem if we suffer from an addiction?
To help you love yourself a little more, at Fromm Bienestar we want to provide you with some ideas that may be useful to you. It is important that you work on them daily, just a few minutes is enough for this.
1. You are a unique person
Nobody is like you, and that’s why You don’t have to always be comparing yourself to others
2. Have your own criteria and do not blindly believe what they say about you
It is necessary to question oneself, but one must identify the limits and, above all, the appropriate means to do so. Individual and group therapy are very effective.
3. Everything you have achieved has great value, never forget it
But sometimes suffering, anxiety or discomfort can appear simultaneously. Thus It is important to monitor your goals and objectives based on other personal and intimate parameters.
4. It is normal to make mistakes and that is why you have to be tolerant, but not with others, but with yourself
We all make mistakes, and sometimes being aware of our mistakes damages our self-esteem and that is why we try to hide them or ignore them without analyzing how to do it better next time. assuming the mistake from learning
5. Be patient
Don’t try to achieve your goal in a short time. It is a process, and it lasts. Each person works differently and that is why the treatments are individualized and adapted to each case.