Have you ever had self-esteem problems? Do you ever feel unconfident over your own self? Self-esteem can drastically affect mental health. How you look at yourself matters a lot to your own well-being. Self-esteem has links to the development of mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. High self-esteem would mean happiness, satisfaction, confidence, and a positive outlook in life. People often don’t realize what’s the status of their self-esteem that’s why they engage in negative self-talk.
Self-esteem is the way you define yourself; are you telling yourself kind words? What do you say when you look into the mirror? Defining oneself in a positive life despite the flaws, is what we call having a high self-esteem. However, when you spew negative words to yourself when you look at the mirror, then you have low self-esteem. In this blog, we’re going to talk about one of the biggest culprits of anxiety, self-esteem and how it affects teens and adults.
Self-Esteem: Who I See in The Mirror
The thing about self-esteem is it is built up through personal and social influences. Self-esteem is largely influenced through people’s perceptions of ourselves. This is where most of our self-perceptions come from. When people tell us something good or bad about ourselves, chances are, we take it personally. The words that people say will affect our self-esteem. The words can be a compliment or harsh feedback on our appearance, capabilities, or personal value.
Types of Self-Esteem
There are different types of self-esteem that are present within society. These are:
- Low self-esteem – this is the type of self-esteem that has a negative view of the self. People with low self-esteem see themselves as not meeting the world’s standards. They’re the type of people who do not trust in themselves. They don’t see their beauty or how valuable they are. They may suffer from wrecked relationships, stage fright, addiction, depression and anxiety.
- High self-esteem – this is the type of self-esteem that most optimistic people have. People with high self-esteem tend to speak kindness to themselves. They’re able to lift their chin up at any situation. They take criticisms as a way to grow. They see their own beauty, uniqueness, and value. They’re the kind of people who enjoy good connections, being the life of the party, freedom, and bright outlook in life. They could turn a negative situation into good.
- Inflated self-esteem – a lesser-known term but this is the type of self-esteem that underestimates others. People who have inflated self-esteem think that they are better than any other person. This is negative self-esteem that feeds on degrading people’s self-esteem.
Self-Esteem on Teens (and Childhood)
Self-esteem issues stem in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Most of our self-esteem is built around childhood and adolescence where most new experiences are. School, increasing workload, sociability, are being tested and developed during those stages. Peer formation, discovering new talents, and testing out learning styles are all assessed during childhood and adolescence. However, they may also have negative occurrences that affect their self-esteem. These can be bullying, bad influences, academic performance, and personal failures. These can affect self-esteem.
Children
Self-esteem can affect child development. Children with supportive parents tend to be more confident than children who do not. Children hone their talents and skills through positive self-esteem. If you see a child with low self-esteem, their growing environment will be questionable. Kids without a growth mindset tend to be more aloof and unmotivated. In a school setting, children’s self-esteem is affected with the people they surround themselves with. They’re less conscious about their appearance but more conscious about what people say to them. So if a group of classmates bully a child, it will affect their self-esteem.
Teens
In this new age, low self-esteem is prevalent. Other than the factors mentioned above, self-esteem is also media-influenced. Teens as well as some young adults are having body image problems because of the unrealistic standards of social media. They’re also comparing themselves to other people they know who has far more successes than them. Copying the beautiful look of Hollywood stars are our teenagers’ hobby so that they could fit in. The beauty standards shown in social media make the viewer feel less good about themselves. Most of those who are affected with social media-induced self-esteem problems are teens and young adults.
Adults
Adults are largely affected with low self-esteem. As they grow in life, they have to undergo challenges that may leave a scar on their self-esteem. When they get to university or enter the workforce, they will encounter challenges that affect their self-esteem. For instance, in work, when they had a bad performance, they look down on themselves. Not all people are like this, but there are some who take criticisms personally rather than growing because of feedbacks. Adults hate failure, and that impacts their self-esteem.
How to Improve Self-Esteem in Children and Teens
If you’re a parent, you can do the following tips to foster self-esteem improvement in your children and adolescents:
- Love openly – show affection to combat self-esteem issues and make them smile.
- Encourage speaking about their feelings – tell them to speak their thoughts freely.
- Listen to them – listen attentively to whatever they have to say.
- Allow them to play – children whether kids or teens should play with peers and siblings so let them have fun!
- Balance their academics – assist them when they need help doing homework.
- Set goals – whether it be an emotional or academic goal, motivate them!
- Speak kindness – your child or teen needs words of kindness from you and family.
How to Handle Self-Esteem Issues Among Adults
Some adults suffer from low self-esteem problems. Most of them are in university and the striving workforce. If you’re one of the adults who want to increase their self-esteem and become better versions of themselves. Check out the following that you can do:
- Know the strengths – people will always have their own talents so maximize them.
- Improve your weaknesses – keep evolving so that weaknesses can be your strengths.
- Surround yourself with good people – these people can be your reliable support system.
Got Self-Esteem Problems?
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