Common Symptoms of Low Self-Esteem - By: cmyarbrough

Do you have low self esteem? Low self esteem and low confidence can erode the quality of our lives. That is why we must take steps to learn how to be confident and improve our self esteem. With the proper mindset, we can change our lives. Never underestimate the power that your mind has to influence your life in very dramatic, powerful and positive ways. Luckily, there are identifiable low self esteem symptoms that help us to identify the problem.

How Do I Know If I have Low Self Esteem?
Below are some low self esteem symptoms. These are just a few of the more prevalent ones. In truth, there are many other signs as well. If you feel that you may have low self esteem, seek help. Learn how to build your confidence and feeling of self worth. We only live once. Don’t let it go to waste feeling bad about your self.

Symptoms of low self esteem:
Blaming Others
People with low self esteem tend to blame their problems and failures on others. This is a failure to accept responsibility of our lives due to a lack of confidence in our ability to do so. This is commonly known as “playing the victim.”

Seeking Acceptance
Always seeking the acceptance of others is something that we do when we do not truly accept ourselves. We want other people to confirm and reassure us of our value.

Indecision
Indecision is the lack of ability to make decisions. This stems from a fear or lack of confidence in our ability to make good decisions. We hide from this fear by always stepping back and letting others decide. That way, when things go wrong, it will be someone else’s fault.

Perfectionism
Perfectionism is when we constantly need everything to be perfect. This is a typical self defense mechanism. We try to put ourselves above others by reminding ourselves of our ultra-high standards. We hold ourselves and others to impossible or unlikely standards and thus set ourselves and others up for constant failure. We must learn to accept things the way they exist and stop demanding impossible perfections.

Can’t handle criticism
The inability to handle criticism is another one. When we do not truly value ourselves, we need other people to value us. When they criticize us, it shatters our illusion that the hold us in high esteem. It bruises our fragile ego and we feel it much more dramatically than someone who is more confident or has higher self esteem. Often this is followed by lashing out in anger.

Pessimistic and over critical
Being pessimistic is a tell-tale sign of poor self esteem. When someone always has a negative outlook on life and expects the worst, it is evident that they do not believe in their abilities to change things for the better or create a positive future.

Addictive behavior
Addiction is simply seeking alternative ways to feel happy. This can be anything, including drugs, alcohol, sex, overeating, etc. When a person lacks the ability to feel good about himself, these instant gratifications and indulgences provide that happiness or good feeling. Unfortunately, the results are temporary and they bring about even greater problems and even lower self esteem in the long run. Addictions can be among the more dangerous manifestations of low self esteem. Avoid this trap!

If you have many of the low self esteem symptoms above, this may indicate that you have a serious problem. Fortunately, there are many people like you and many ways to improve your self esteem and build your self confidence. There are exercises, courses, books and counselors that can give you insight on how to combat this problem. Look around, find the answers, take some action and never give up. You can accomplish amazing things once you truly believe it.

About the Author

If you need a powerful downloadable e-course on self confidence or want to see how I beat low self esteem visit Confidence Building Courses! Or feel free to check out my related articles here: How To Be Confident!

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