Definition of Self-Esteem: What is Self-Esteem Really?

Self-esteem is the subjective assessment that a person has about himself. It includes all the thoughts, feelings, sensations, experiences and experiences that we have collected in our life. And this self-assessment can be positive or negative depending on how the person is perceived in a certain area.

Self-acceptance is a key part of self-esteem, as it involves the objective recognition of one's own qualities and defects.

It is important to mention that self-esteem can vary in the various aspects of a person's life. For example, a person may have an excellent assessment of himself in the professional field, while feeling extremely dissatisfied with his love life.

In the same way, self-esteem is dynamic and changes as time passes. For example, at certain times, a person may have high self-esteem but when a love breakup is triggered, their self-esteem may be low.

Self-esteem is the basis of psychological health and that is why many of the psychological problems - such as anxiety or depression - are triggered by low self-esteem.

On the other hand, when our self-esteem is adequate, we can interact with the world and socialize with others in a much healthier way.

What will you find?

Importance of Self-esteem: What is self-esteem for?

Self-esteem is important because having a good perception of yourself directly affects the results you can achieve in life, both professionally and personally. In other words, your ability to achieve what you want in life largely depends on your level of self-esteem.

To lower this last point a bit more, self-esteem positively influences your ability to take risks and face new challenges when you feel capable enough to overcome them successfully. On the other hand, when you have a poor assessment of yourself, you will not dare to try new things or things that are out of your comfort zone.

Self-esteem also largely determines your state of mind and a good state of mind is key to having a good performance in the various spheres that surround your life.

In addition, well-nourished self-esteem will allow you to have a series of thoughts, attitudes and behaviours that are beneficial for your health, relation with others and quality of life.

When we promote good self-esteem, we are immune or less vulnerable to the emotional attacks of the environment and we act with greater courage in any situation. And by accepting ourselves unconditionally, we feel more satisfied with our behaviours and reactions.

8 Types of Self-Esteem

Generally speaking, there are two types of self-esteem: high self-esteem and low self-esteem; and from these two others have been derived such as those that we will see below.

The causes of high or low self-esteem depend on what each person has experienced, although it is also true that there are certain neurotransmitters, which, being greater or less, influence the type of self-esteem that the person has.

Some of the types of self-esteem are:

1. High self-esteem

People with high self-esteem are very confident in their abilities, qualities and talents. And by focusing on seeing the positive within themselves, they can feel more prepared, make better decisions, take risks, and achieve success more easily.

People with high self-esteem are usually positive, cheerful, funny, creative, spontaneous and decisive.

2. Low self-esteem

The vast majority of people with low self-esteem have a distorted image about themselves that is often affected by situations that trigger this type of self-esteem. What? Bullying, physical or verbal aggression, loss of loved ones, love breaks, accidents, sexual abuse, among others.

A person with low self-esteem often feels sadness, depression, anxiety, fear and anguish.

She perceives herself as full of flaws and minimizes or completely ignores her qualities. In other words: it exaggerates its flaws and ignores its virtues. They are self-critical at an extreme level.

The insecurity and indecisiveness are the main indicators of low self - esteem because it lacks self - confidence. In this sense, people with low self-esteem have a hard time making decisions.

People with low self-esteem feel dissatisfied in certain areas of their life and are more sensitive to criticism from others or "what will they say." They fear failure and rejection.

They are people who give up easily, fear facing new challenges and do not believe enough in their value as people, or in their talents and possibilities. This results in them having a negative tone of self-talk.

The constant doubt about whether they are good enough frequently haunts their heads and they base their self-perception on what others think about them. Also, often they are compared constantly and this makes them feel inferior to demá s.

3. Unstable self-esteem

Self-esteem can also be unstable. This means that it can go from high to low - or vice versa, depending on the circumstances of the moment or events in life.

People with this type of self-esteem tend to be sensitive and influenced by external events.

4. High and stable self-esteem

It is characterized by internal control and constant high self-esteem.

5. High and unstable self-esteem

It is characterized by high self-esteem but that is not maintained over time.

6. Low and stable self-esteem

It is characterized by self-esteem that is constantly low.

7. Low and unstable self-esteem

It is characterized by low self-esteem that varies depending on the situation.

8. Inflated self-esteem

This last type is characteristic of people who have a strong (or narcissistic) personality and who believe they are superior to others. They are very self-centred and sometimes even selfish people. They do not tend to listen or present attention to the people around them.

They are not capable of correcting their own mistakes nor are they capable of criticizing themselves.

They are also characterized by being very materialistic and superficial.

20 Characteristics of Healthy Self-Esteem

• A person with good self-esteem is someone with the following characteristics:
• He recognizes his dignity as a person, he does not feel superior or inferior to others.
• Trust yourself and your abilities.
• Make your own decisions and assume the responsibilities derived from your actions.
• You change your mind when experience shows you that you were wrong.
• Go your own way, without waiting for the approval of others.
• She accepts herself acknowledging her limitations, weaknesses, and strengths.
• Live mostly in the present, but learn from the past and plan for the future.
• It is not easily manipulated.
• He is not afraid to interact with others or talk to other people.
• Express your feelings and thoughts freely and without fear of what they will say.
• Acknowledges the emotions of others and is empathetic.
• Take care of their physical and mental needs.
• Has a mostly positive mindset.
• He knows how to identify and express his emotions to other people.
• She is not discouraged by challenges, on the contrary, she likes them and sees them as a way to learn about herself and improve herself.
• She makes the best decisions for herself and defends her personal rights with assertiveness and respect.
• Fight to achieve what you want.
• Learn easily and carry out new tasks with confidence and enthusiasm.
• She does not let the opinions of others determine their perception of herself.
• He knows how to say no to others and set limits without feeling guilty.

How to improve self-esteem?

Seeing a specialist who can provide personalized attention and treatment suitable for your current situation is not the only way to start nurturing your self-esteem.

There is no magic formula with the secret ingredients to raising your self-esteem from one day to the next because self-esteem is more of an everyday job as we explain it in this interview with the Expert Coach in Self-Esteem and Empowerment, Mariela Sánchez.

Raising self-esteem contemplates the incorporation of habits and thoughts in your daily routine that contribute to improving the image you have about yourself. Self-esteem is like a muscle that develops with time and dedication.

Some of the activities that you can put into practice to improve your self-esteem are:

• Make a list of the things you like about yourself and always remind yourself of the good.
• Work on what you don't like about yourself and what you can change. There's no use getting frustrated with things you can't change. Nobody is perfect and in those cases, it is better to let go and focus on your strengths and what you love about yourself.
• Do not form your self-image based on the messages you receive from others or on the comparison you make vs. others.