When you have a negative outlook, it tends to affect every aspect of your life. Studies have shown that negative self-talk can cause issues with self-esteem.
With poor self-esteem, you may feel worthless, or like you do not measure up to everyone else. It can affect your relationships and prevent you from taking on opportunities.
Is negativity ruining your self-esteem? You can discover if negative self-talk is dragging your self-esteem down, as well as what signs you need to watch for.
How Negativity Impacts Self-Esteem
Self-esteem can both be a cause of negativity, and a result of it. When you have a negative mindset, it often stems from feeling inadequate or due to a lack of control over a situation. This leads to negative self-talk, such as you will never amount to anything, or you are not good enough to achieve success.
The trouble with negative thoughts is that they multiply quickly. Over time, you’ll find they greatly affect your confidence and cause you to question your value. Negativity is a self-esteem killer, causing you to doubt everything as well as yourself.
Understanding Negative Self-Talk
Negative self-talk is basically your inner critic reminding you of all the negative things you or others have said about you. Negative self-talk can have a significant impact on your self-esteem, confidence, and overall wellbeing.
Put simply, negative self-talk prevents you from believing in yourself and your abilities. It keeps you from making positive changes and achieving success.
Signs You Have Low Self-Esteem
So, how do you know if you have low self-esteem? There are some signs to look out for which may suggest your self-esteem could use some work. These include:
- You have little confidence
- You compare yourself negatively to others
- You find it difficult asking for help
- You worry a lot
- You find it difficult to accept compliments
These are just a small number of the signs of low self-esteem. The question is, how can you eliminate negativity and build up your self-esteem?
Ways To Reduce Negativity and Build Self-Esteem
If you are ready to start combatting your negativity and building up self-esteem, there are a few things you can do. Start by assessing what is contributing towards your negativity. Is it past experiences such as being bullied at school for example? By figuring out where your negativity stems from, you will be able to start working on overcoming it.
Surrounding yourself with positive people is a great way to challenge negativity. The people you surround yourself with make a huge difference to how you feel. If you are around negative people, you yourself will end up feeling more negative.
Looking after yourself, utilizing positive affirmations, and stopping comparing yourself to others are also good tips you can follow.
If you have poor self-esteem, the amount of negativity you experience could be partially to blame. As you focus on becoming more positive, you will find that you automatically begin to feel happier and more confident.
ALEX J NAGEL
JULY 21 2023
