Engage In Self-Love!

Low self-esteem is a serious problem that is somewhat not taken seriously.

However, with links to mental health, it is the reason for some of the problems a lot of people face today.

In case you didn’t know, self-esteem is the confidence one has in one’s self.

Thus, having a low-self-esteem simply means lacking confidence in one’s self and ability.

Have you ever wondered if you are suffering from low self-esteem?

Are you oblivious about the characteristics?

Do you have no idea as to how to improve your life if you do have low self-esteem?

This article would provide all the answers you seek, and more.

Let’s dive right into it.

List Of Characteristics Of Low Self-Esteem

People who have low self-esteem exhibit several characteristics. However, if the following sentences resonates with you, then you probably have low self-esteem.

1. I constantly feel inferior to peers and mates.
2. I constantly feel insecure.
3. I constantly criticize myself and everything I do.
4. I regularly have negative, self-blaming, and critical discussions with myself.
5. I always worry about what other people think of me.
6. I have anger issues and I’m always defensive.
7. I’m unable to deal with challenges.
8. I always downplay and ignore my positive qualities.
9. I never believe or accept compliments from people.
10. I always call or describe myself with negative words such as ugly, fat, unlovable, or stupid.
11. I’m a perfectionist and never want to make mistakes.
12. I have a massive fear of failure and looking bad in front of others.
13. I always assume that luck plays a role in all of my achievements, and never take credit for them.
14. I never commit to relationships or tasks, and often leave them unfinished.
15. I always blame myself when things go wrong, and never consider other things that are beyond my control, such as economic forces or the actions of other people.
16. I always seem confused and disorganized.
17. I lack purpose or direction in life.
18. I sometimes suffer from an eating disorder.
19. I have a distorted view of life and myself.
20. I’m always in a low or bad mood.
21. I regularly have mood swings.
22. I have low expectations from both people and myself.
23. I break agreements and violate my own standards regularly.
24. I’m a full time pessimists.
25. I’m always jealous and envious of other people’s success.
26. I never like it when work is done by others.
27. I’m scared of exploring my abilities for fear of what people will say.
28. I frequently respond irrationally, with emotions clouding my responses.
29. I always feel resentful and down when I lose.
30. I rely a lot on luck, fate, and fortune.
31. I’m always anxious and apprehensive when dealing with others.
32. I avoid competitions for fear of failing.

Effects Of Low Self-Esteem

Having low self-esteem can impact the quality of a person’s life negatively in so many different ways. The effects of having low self-esteem include:

1. An Obsession with Being Perfect

Perfectionism is one effect of having a low-self-esteem that cannot be avoided. A lot of people with low self-esteem tend to push themselves a lot, and try to over-achieve just to cover and atone for their inferiority.

2. Constant Negative Feelings

People with low self-esteem are self-critical, as stated above, and this self-criticism leads to constant feelings of depression, sadness, guilt, shame, anger, and anxiety.

3. A Fear of Trying

Having low self-esteem would inevitably lead to doubts about one’s abilities or worth. These doubts would make a low self-esteemed person to be afraid of trying new things, and would avoid challenges.

5. Relationship Problems

People with low self-esteem barely get into healthy relationships with others because of distrust, always feeling oppressed and bullied, and harboring a strong resentment of people. They also feel like they are not lovable and always tolerate improper behavior from partners.

6. A Lack of Self-Care

People with low self-esteem tend to care so little about themselves, so they indulge in activities that neglect their self-care and abuse themselves in the process. People with low self-esteem tend to be heavy drinkers, for instance.

7. Self-Harming Behaviors

It has been found that people suffering from low self-esteem are at a higher risk of self-harm behaviors, such as suicide, drug abuse, or an eating disorder.

8. Fear of Judgment

People with low self-esteem try to avoid activities that involve other people, such as social events or sports. This is because they hate and fear being judged negatively.