Low self-esteem is the belief and confidence in one’s ability and value. While everyone lacks confidence occasionally, individuals with low self-esteem feel unhappy or unsatisfied with themselves most of the time. When low self-esteem becomes a long-term problem, it can significantly harm our mental health and our day-to-day lives. Living with low self-esteem impacts your mental health and leads to symptoms of depression and anxiety. If you’re seeking low self-esteem treatment in Melbourne to help improve your quality of life, you’re in the right place.
Low self-esteem and when to seek support
When should you seek help to improve self-esteem?
If low self-esteem impacts various areas of your life, negatively affecting your relationships, work, or academic performance. Even if you’re not currently experiencing significant distress or self-doubt due to low self-esteem, seeking support can still be beneficial. Addressing self-esteem proactively can help strengthen your sense of self-worth and resilience, reducing the likelihood of future difficulties in daily life. It is important to identify the warning signs of low self-esteem and reach out for support to explore effective treatment with a mental health professional. Taking steps to improve self-esteem with a warm and compassionate psychologist is a great place to start as it can help you implement self-care, rebuild your confidence, and boost your self-esteem. This is important to improve your quality of life and enhance your overall well-being.
Low self-esteem may also be intertwined with other mental health conditions or mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, poor body image, trauma, obsessive-compulsive behaviours, and eating disorders. In many cases, low self-esteem may be a secondary effect of these underlying struggles, making it essential to address the broader context of your mental health. If not addressed with appropriate evidence-based interventions within a supportive therapeutic setting, low self-esteem can contribute to further mental and physical health challenges. Working with a warm and experienced psychologist experienced in providing low self-esteem treatment is the first step in navigating these complexities.
low self-esteem treatment Melbourne
How to spot signs of low self-esteem?
Low self-esteem may present in the following ways:
- Holding an excessively critical view of yourself
- Persistent fear of judgment and subsequent experiences of social anxiety or social phobia
- Automatic negative thoughts most days of the week especially following a social interaction
- Poor body image and distress after scrolling on social media
- Underestimating or neglecting your positive qualities
- Constantly comparing yourself unfavourably to friends and family
- Using derogatory terms to describe yourself, like stupid, fat, ugly, or unlovable
- Engaging in a continuous stream of negative self-critical
- Constant apologising or self-blame for things that go wrong or unplanned
- Attributing your achievements mainly to luck rather than your own efforts
- Automatically shouldering blame when things go wrong rather than considering external factors
- Struggling to accept compliments and being unsure of how to respond
How can low-self esteem impact daily life:
- Low self-esteem may trigger persistent negative emotions in young people including sadness, anxiety, and anger
- Lead to tolerating unreasonable behaviour in relationships, and bullying, among other negative experiences
- Self-doubt can make you avoid challenges, job opportunities, or social interactions
- The pursuit of perfection to compensate for feelings of inferiority
- Fear of judgment leading to avoidance of social activities and constant self-criticism
- Low resilience making it challenging to cope with life’s challenges and life events
- Increased risk of self-harm including disordered eating or substance abuse
- Self-neglect including poor hygiene, excessive alcohol consumption, and avoiding necessary medical care
Improve Self-Esteem
How to regain lost self-confidence?
When you’re struggling with low self-esteem, it’s common to struggle with an unbalanced perspective of yourself, often doubting your abilities and undervaluing what you bring to the table. Boost self-esteem, often starts with recognising negative self-talk and how a lack of confidence and low self-esteem can impact your perception of yourself and your abilities. Engaging in self-help and self-care and practising positive self-talk in the form of affirmations can be practical interventions an individual can start to adopt, to foster a more balanced and positive self-view.
What is the best therapy for low self-esteem?
The best therapy for low self-esteem issues often involves a combination of approaches, with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) being one of the most effective. CBT is a talk therapy that targets and reframes negative thought patterns that often fuel low self-esteem, helping you develop healthy self-esteem and a more balanced and positive self-view. We know that negative thinking maintains negative beliefs about one’s self. Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) is another evidence-based therapy found to be effective in reducing self-criticism by fostering self-compassion. Mindfulness-based therapies are also supported by evidence, teaching you to observe thoughts without judgment, which can help break cycles of self-criticism. These approaches, grounded in evidence, provide a comprehensive and effective treatment for improving self-esteem.
How can Positive Wellbeing Psychology help?
At Positive Wellbeing Psychology, our experienced Melbourne psychologists have a special interest in guiding individuals to foster a healthy level of self-esteem and self-worth throughout life.
Working with a psychologist is like embarking on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment, where you’ll find the strength to overcome self-doubt and emerge with a renewed sense of self-esteem and confidence.
Make an Appointment
At Positive Wellbeing Psychology, we offer flexible psychotherapy appointments with our psychologists during the day, evening, or weekends, both in-person at our Melbourne psychology practice or online via telehealth.
Our team of psychologists hold full registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and adhere to ethical guidelines as mandated by the Psychologists Registration Board and the Australian Psychological Society. Our clinical practice is grounded in evidence-based treatment approaches for providing low self-esteem treatment in Melbourne to help you improve your self-esteem.