Major Contributors to Poor Self-Esteem

Waning self-esteem can cause problems across every area of your life. From job performance to personal relationships, a perpetual lack of self-esteem is liable to impact you in a variety of ways. That being the case, anyone whose self-esteem issues have become all-consuming would do well to seek the proper assistance. Furthermore, if you’re looking to get to the bottom of your low self-esteem, there are a plethora of possible causes for you to consider.

Overwork

It seems like overwork is impossible to escape in the U.S. We live in a culture that actively celebrates overwork and regards it as a badge of honor instead of a tremendous detriment to inner peace and sound mental health. So, if work has come to define your life and prevent you from having time to sufficiently unwind, there’s no time like the present to get on top of this.

For starters, you’ll need to give yourself a set work schedule. Regardless of whether you report to an office or work remotely, your workday should begin at a certain time and end at a certain time. The fact that so many businesses regard workdays as never-ending doesn’t mean you need to buy into this harmful line of thought. So, outside of extreme emergencies (for which you are duly compensated), stick to set work-hours. If you’ve grown accustomed to workdays that continue indefinitely, this may be a bit of an adjustment, but sticking to a set work schedule can do wonders for your self-esteem and mental health.

You should also be more assertive when it comes to setting boundaries. For example, if your boss consistently saddles you with unmanageable workloads and/or unrealistic deadlines, you’d do well to make your displeasure known. It’s entirely possible that they don’t realize how much work goes into the projects you undertake or that their preferred timetables are placing a strain on your schedule. In the interest of avoiding overwork, make it clear how much work you’re capable of doing in a given day and/or week and request that they abstain from exceeding this amount.

Inability to Say No

It’s easy to see why so many of us fall into people-pleasing. After all, it’s only natural to want the people in your life to be happy, and if you can play a role in bringing that happiness about, it makes sense that you’d jump at the opportunity. To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with providing assistance or granting favors to friends and family members who find themselves in need. However, if you fall into the habit of never saying no, people are likely to take advantage of this, resulting in diminished self-esteem and resentment towards friends and family. 

At some time or another, we all have to do cumbersome favors for the people in our lives. Still, if there’s a disproportionate amount of give-and-take in your personal relationships, you’d do well to start saying no to requests that place undue strain on your time, patience, or mental health. If you’ve gotten into the habit of granting every request that comes your way, this may take practice, but your efforts on this front will prove highly beneficial to your self-esteem.

Refusal to Recognize the Good in Yourself

Self-esteem issues can make us blind to our best qualities. So, if you’ve come to believe that you possess no positive traits, take care to challenge this belief. In addition to making a list of all your desirable qualities, consider getting involved in charitable endeavors. For example, no matter where you’re based, you’re liable to find an abundance of food drives, volunteer opportunities and places to donate blood. You can also improve lives – and potentially even save some – by donating platelets. If you’re currently wondering, “What are platelets?,” don’t hesitate to get in touch with a knowledgeable donation center. 

A distinct lack of self-esteem can turn your everyday existence into an arduous chore. If you constantly feel as if you’re unintelligent, unattractive or incapable, it’s in your best interest to seek help before self-esteem issues take hold of your entire life. One of the first steps in treating the problem is identifying the root cause(s) of your poor self-esteem, and in so doing, you may even discover that certain behaviors on your end have inadvertently contributed to the issue. So, if you’re unclear on what your self-esteem is on the wane, take care to consider the options outlined above.