Signs of low self esteem can include conditions such as anxiety, depression and even anorexia. Low-self esteem can also intensify poor living habits, such as poor eating, smoking, alcoholism and drugs.
What is self esteem?
Self esteem is inherently tied to how much you value yourself. It is a complicated mix of how you perceive your identity, how confident you are, how capable you are of doing things and how much sense of belonging you feel.
A healthy self esteem is integral to a healthy life. This is because it acts – at the end of the day – as that mental fuel driving you to perform those actions which get you the things that make you happy. Whether that be a new job, house, partner or anything else.
You can read more here about building a healthy self esteem.
5 strong signs of a woman’s low self esteem
Below, we’ll outline some of the low self esteem indicators to watch out for if you’re a woman.
Little to no self-confidence
Women with low levels of self-confidence, as a general rule of thumb, have low self esteem. When you don’t value yourself (and have a bad self image), you don’t rely on yourself to handle different situations – because you simply lack the confidence to do so. A lack of self-trust means you don’t feel comfortable navigating the different issues in your life.
Comparing negatively to other people
If somebody is comparing yourself negatively to others, they could be massively hurting your self esteem. Women who experience low levels of self esteem may be much more likely to engage in comparing themselves to people who they think is better.
This ‘other person’ could be another man or woman with a better job, more money, a better body image and physical appearance, more friends, a better family and overall a much higher quality of life. Social media certainly doesn’t help with this.
Self-doubt and lots of worrying
When somebody with low-self esteem makes a decision, they’re more likely to question whether they’ve done the right thing. They’ll doubt all their opinions, and constantly look for what other people think. This kind of second-guessing can make it extremely difficult to make the important decisions that affect their lives.
Scared of failing
People with low self esteem are almost always terrified of failing. This means they’ll avoid doing it tough, surrender easily without properly trying and steer clear of challenging experiences. Being scared of failing means constantly be making excuses not to do something (“I’m so tired”, “I’m too busy”, “Now’s not the right time”). They also blame other factors (like their job or their family).
Negative thinking
Somebody experiencing low self-worth may think life will never get better. They’ll feel hopeless and stuck – making it very difficult to do things that will bring positive changes. They’re also very good at locating roadblocks to future success, and will pinpoint external factors to blame for getting anywhere.
Sound like you?
If you’re a woman experiencing the signs of low-self esteem, there is help. Our Melbourne women’s counselling service at Safe Place Therapy is designed to help you overcome issues affecting your mental and physical health, including if you’re experiencing low self-confidence or self-worth.
Our women’s counsellors in Melbourne are passionate about empowering women and help them achieve complete satisfaction in their lives.
Book an appointment with one of our team of mental health professionals today, face-to-face or online.
