The Influences of Having a High or Low Self Esteem

For many decades, personal self esteem has been of great importance in the realm of social research. It is based on an 'overall' opinion of ourselves as to how we feel and value ourselves. Approximately every two out of three people go through life negatively and with low self esteem. It may not always show on the outside, but we carry it around on the inside everywhere that we may go.

We begin creating patterns when we are small children. It is shaped in part by our experiences, relationships and what we think. Throughout our childhood, the processes of creating and shaping these patterns are also a collection of beliefs and feelings that we have about ourselves and of other children. These beginning phases of personal self esteem will have a direct reflection on our lives as we mature into adults, not only on ourselves, but also to everyone that we meet in our lifetimes.

With high self esteem, we have a very high degree of confidence and by enlisting our mental abilities, we have the capabilities of climbing mountains and nothing seems to be impossible. On the other hand, living with low self esteem, we hardly have any interest, or desire for that matter, to even look at the mountain, much less to try and muster up the energy to climb it. With a low self esteem, we are oftentimes very negative in our thoughts and outlook on life, and we can also become aggressive, as well as destructive and quite often, we'll find ourselves completely powerless to do anything about it.

A healthy self esteem, that being a combination of an upbeat and positive outlook, is vital to being happy. A major key in creating and maintaining a healthy self is by being aware of what we are good at, such as all of our strengths and also by being able to accept ourselves as worthy individuals, regardless of any weaknesses that we may possess . People with a positive self esteem possess many positive qualities, such as easily making decisions, are confident about themselves, see themselves as being worthwhile and approve of their physical appearances. On the other hand, those with a low self esteem, have very little value of their opinions or ideas and always think of themselves as being inadequate and just not 'good enough'.

Possessing a healthy self esteem can significantly improve all areas in your life. This can be accomplished in several ways. One is the use of positive affirmations. These are positive statements, such as 'I can', 'I am' and are repeated as many times as necessary throughout the day. This helps to reprogram your thinking from a negative to a positive frame of mind and can quickly empower you with feelings and beliefs of 'Yes I can'. Affirmations are an important process in building your self esteem and are also a very good habit to incorporate into your daily life.

Other proven methods have been accomplished by reducing stress, relaxation, music therapy and aromatherapy.