Struggling with Low Self-Esteem?

Self-esteem refers to your sense of self-worth and how much you value yourself. Low self-esteem effects people in different ways. Some signs that you may be experiencing low self-esteem include:

• Being overly concerned about what other people think and not trusting your own opinions and beliefs.
  
 
• Not feeling as good or as worthy as other people.
  
 
• Accentuating the negative about yourself and not recognizing or appreciating your positive qualities.
  
 
• Blaming yourself when things go wrong and not giving yourself credit when things go right.
  
 
• Difficulty making decisions and often second-guessing yourself.
 
• Lacking a sense of meaning or purpose in your life.
  
 
• Low motivation, and feeling depressed or anxious, or in emotional turmoil.

How Counselling and Therapy Can Help

I'm a Guelph counsellor and therpiast specializing in helping people overcome low self-esteem. When you come for counselling or therapy for low self-esteem, I'll help you explore the roots of your self-esteem, and gain insight and understanding into what's contributing to your low self-esteem and what you can do to help build self-esteem.

Your self-esteem arises from a number of factors such as:

• The beliefs you’ve developed about yourself from your family, your peers and society.
 
• The expectations you and others have of yourself, and how well you’re living up to these expectations.
 
• The achievements or lack of achievements you've experienced in areas of your life that are important to you.
 
• The loss of something significant such as a job or relationship.
  

As we explore these areas, you'll develop more managable expectations for yourself and more balanced assessments of your self-worth that will help improve your self-esteem. Through our work together, you'll build self-esteem by developing a more accepting and nurturing relationship with yourself and your actions, thoughts, feelings and experiences.

As your self-esteem grows, you will:

• Begin to accept all aspects of yourself, including qualities you may wish to change, mistakes you've made, and any lack of success you may have experienced.
 
• Grow more confident in your ability to know what is best for yourself and less concerned about what other people think.
 
• Become more comfortable with your own identity and direction in life.
 
• Become empowered to pursue the things you want for yourself and build a more satisfying and fulfilling life.