Self esteem and you – how do you feel about it?

February 5th, 2010 by Judith Gentry MBACP

As I write these words, I’m wondering what they mean to you?

For some people self esteem means the way we think about ourselves. To have high self esteem, to have a good or even high opinion about ourselves is an aim of many.

Yet for others, this is bad. It feels arrogant, showing off and something that we shouldn’t do. How often as children were we told not to show off?

Yet the way we feel about ourselves is so important and affects so many parts of our daily lives. The decisions that we make about our work; our relationships; our home life; our families; even what we want to wear each day are all related to how we feel about ourselves.

Seasonal blues often hit us at this time of the year and make us feel insecure and anxious. Yet it can also be a great time to focus on renewal. Winter is going to go away some time soon, and a new Spring will emerge. And with the new Spring we too can emerge from whatever is holding us back.

Counselling can help you with finding this new way forward. It will require bravery on your part of course, bravery to think about things that are getting in the way of you feeling good about yourself and courage to talk to your counsellor about them.

One of the wonderful things about my job is watching as clients start to achieve the things they set out to do! Wherever you are on life’s journey, if your current perception of yourself is getting in the way of you leading the life you want to, don’t let it win! You can make a difference.