Self-esteem is your opinion of yourself. Everyone lacks confidence sometimes but people with low self-esteem are unhappy or unsatisfied with themselves most of the time. Low self-esteem can cause problems including depression and anxiety.

Characteristics of low self-esteem

Typically, a person with low self-esteem:

• Is extremely critical of themselves
• Downplays or ignores their positive qualities
• Judges themselves to be inferior to their peers
• Uses negative words to describe themselves such as stupid, fat, ugly or unlovable
• Has discussions with themselves (this is called ‘self talk’) that are always negative, critical and self blaming
• Assumes that luck plays a large role in all their achievements and doesn’t take the credit for them
• Blames themselves when things go wrong instead of taking into account other things over which they have no control such as the actions of other people or economic forces
• Doesn’t believe a person who compliments them

If you suffer from low self esteem, a combination of counseling and clinical hypnosis could assist you in understanding the underlying issues that hold you back and help you regain your confidence so that you may better achieve your potential.