Self-esteem Therapy and Counseling in Austin TX
Self-esteem refers to how you perceive your worth.
Healthy self-esteem allows for self-acceptance and mental flexibility. On the other hand, low self-esteem feels like an inner critic picking away at your confidence and making you second-guess yourself. When faced with challenges, healthy self-esteem fosters resilience and can help you move forward. Healthy self-esteem views challenges and hardships as opportunities for growth. However, low self-esteem clouds your ability to think flexibly, which may influence you to see challenges as a failure. This can lead to you feeling stuck or like there’s something wrong with you. Low self-esteem can get in the way of reaching your goals and living authentically.
Effective Self-esteem Therapy in Austin Texas
What causes low self-esteem?
It is easy to fall into patterns of negative self-talk. Our brains were wired to hold onto negative input to protect us from harm. This is known as the “negativity bias”. This adaptation helped our ancestors avoid dangerous situations, such as remembering which berries were poisonous. But now, it triggers our brains to store negative experiences or thoughts while the positive ones are fleeting. This is why you could receive ten compliments in a day, but one negative remark will be what sticks with you and may cloud how you perceive your day. Our natural inclination to focus on negativity predisposes us to develop low self-esteem. For this reason, it takes consistent work and practice to rewire our brains and change how we talk to ourselves. This is where therapy comes in.
Besides our biological disposition, many environmental factors can contribute to low self-esteem. This can include the messages we learned in our formative years, including the relationships we had and the persistent criticism we received. Our status in society based on our complex identities, discrimination, and trauma can also be tricky.
What are some effects of low self-esteem?
Self-esteem Counseling in Austin TX
Signs and Symptoms of Low Self-Esteem
- Issues setting boundaries or considering your needs
- Comparing yourself to others and never feeling good enough
- Avoiding social situations or feeling self-conscious when socializing
- Difficulty making decisions or trusting yourself
- Struggling to ask others for help or to express your needs
- Negative self-talk and self-criticism
- Fear of failure
- Difficulty accepting compliments
- Sensitivity to criticism from others
- Feeling unworthy of enjoyment or pleasure
- Seeking approval from others
- Perfectionism
- Imposter syndrome
- Feeling like you have to hide parts of yourself in order to be accepted
Therapy for Self-Esteem in Texas Can Help:
Ready to get started with therapy for self-esteem in Austin, TX?
- Fill out a CONSULTATION FORM to describe a little about you!
- Check out our team of self-esteem therapists in Austin, TX
- Find yourself healing that self-worth part of you
Interested in learning more about self-esteem? Read our blog!
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