Have you ever considered you or someone you love may be suffering from low self-esteem?
Generally speaking, we think of low self-esteem as someone not loving themselves enough, but in truth, it means they cannot see their true value.
Be it that they have a bad opinion about themselves or that they cannot be confident in their skills, low self-esteem is something that affects a lot of people of all ages!
The range of factors that go into this feeling is more than the generic “you do not like yourself enough”; they generally include not being confident in your competence and skills; you may not find your identity; you may not be able to trust your own thoughts, feelings, goals, interests, and even opinions.
If you have e low self-esteem, you may have experienced this due to how others treated you before, and when you struggle with this, you may allow others to treat you way poorer than you should due to how you see yourself.
Low self-esteem is not a mental illness, but it can still affect those who suffer from it in the same way, from their behavior to having a strong influence on their emotions and thoughts.
The sad part is that some signs are not that easy to pinpoint, especially if you or a loved one go through this!
If you are not sure whether or not this negative mindset is a sign of low self-esteem, make sure you keep on reading to discover the most overlooked ones!
Have you ever struggled with low self-esteem? Let us know your story in the comments down below!
1. Lack of control
One of the signs of low self-esteem is the feeling that you do not have control over what happens to you or what you are doing in your life.
People may be suffering silently, thinking that only bad things happen to them and that they can never change their lives or that they will never escape the cycles they find themselves in, even if they know they are bad.
This perceived lack of control stems from the fact that they have low self-esteem, which pushes them to believe they cannot do anything to help themselves or fix their issues.
Researchers have discovered that in situations where people do not have much control over what is happening around them, working on their self-esteem can bring out a more positive outcome.
Even when there is not much to do, not letting your self-esteem be affected can lead to not succumbing to the mental health issues that can be brought about by the loss of control.
Keep in mind that even when you have little to no control over a situation or even your life, finding ways to upkeep your self-esteem is going to be one of the most beneficial things to your well-being.
Of course, this is easier said than done.
2. Issues with asking for what you need
Low self-esteem can manifest in that the individual has a hard time expressing what they need. This may be because they feel embarrassed to ask for things, so they wait for them to be offered, or it can be a more deep issue.
Some people who have low self-esteem can end up not wanting to ask for help or the support they need in a tough situation because they believe that this is a sign of incompetence.
This may have sprung due to being told they needed to be independent or because they’ve ended up believing they would be seen as weak or less than if they asked for help, which would show the other person just how low they have gone.
Due to the low self-esteem they have, they feel like they do not deserve to get help, or they believe that asking for help will make the other person regard them as they regard themselves!
Another way in which this issue can come up is that they struggle to speak up for themselves, and they always put someone else’s desires before their own, no matter how detrimental it could be to them.
3. Poor confidence
One of the first signs that someone is struggling with low self-esteem is the fact that they do not end up being able to be confident in themselves. And the kicker is that this can be reversed.
Someone with poor confidence will end up developing low self-esteem, and someone with self-esteem issues will slowly lose their confidence in their skills and themselves as a person.
Trusting in your skills and abilities is one way you can be prepared to manage most situations life throws at you, no matter how hard they may seem.
It implies that you can trust yourself, and this translates into feeling confident and comfortable navigating the sometimes restless and unpredictable waters of life.
Likewise, it can also mean that you can prioritize your well-being and take care of yourself.
The best thing someone with self-esteem issues can do is make sure they maintain their confidence; find new ways to improve their skills; and and keep working on them so that they can stay sharp. Another way to maintain your confidence and work on your self-esteem is to work on learning new skills.
It may be hard at first, but with time, it will help you lessen the anxiety you feel when attempting something new while also making you more confident in your skills and abilities.
4. Self-doubt and worry
Most people who struggle with having low self-esteem will also find themselves worrying that they have made a wrong choice, especially shortly after they have made a decision, no matter how big or small it is.
They feel like they cannot trust their decision-making and opinions, and they prefer to go down the route of letting others influence their decisions if not completely deferring to them when it comes to making choices.
It can be something as simple as where to go on vacation, all the way to whether or not they should take a job.
This indecisiveness can lead to a lot of self-doubt and a tendency to always second-guess.
Working on our self-esteem is something we all should pick up, but especially those of us who find ourselves with these low self-esteem signs! If you want to better yourself, we recommend you give this book, The Self-Esteem Workbook, a chance.
5. Fear of failure
Another very important sign of low self-esteem is the fear of failure.
This fear is something that can stem from a number of life experiences, but it is also a sign of low self-esteem. This, much like the low confidence sign, can also influence and bring one another about.
People who lack confidence in their skills can end up doubting their chances of being able to do something successfully, thus starting to fear failure.
They will end up not wanting to pick something up unless they know they can get good at it, avoid most types of challenges, and not give their all when trying something because they are afraid they will fail.
The fear of failure can also be seen in behaviors like overexplaining their actions, finding a lot of ways to describe a feeling of inadequacy, and lashing out when something goes wrong.
They may also blame anything under the sun before themselves when they fail something because the admittance of failure is too much for them.
Having low self-esteem can impact anyone at any age, but it seems to affect seniors and their quality of life the most. If you want to ensure you have all the tools you need in your arsenal to battle the likes of low self-esteem in retirement, read this article for the best practical advice!
