Revealed: 9 Warning Signs Of Low Self-Esteem & Lack Of Confidence

Some of us knowingly or unknowingly develop habits that cause low self-esteem and depression. The major sign of a lack of confidence is low self-esteem which lowers the value of a person within, creates a feeling of competence and the person may lose their identity because of their own thoughts. It has to be understood here that low self-esteem is more than liking oneself and one needs to have value for one’s own thoughts, interests, and opinions.

Low self-esteem can prevent you from reaching your success points and worth. Moreover, it can also play a major role in how others perceive you. It can not only improve your motivation but also becomes a reason for developing healthy and happy relationships.

However, some of us may be confused here about what is low self-esteem and what are the signs of low self-esteem before we find a guide to boost self-esteem.

9 Warning Signs Of Low Self Esteem

The only reason why we want you to know about the warning signs of low esteem is so that you find out the flaws and work on them to make yourself better than before.

1. Continuously Checking Your Phone In Social Environment

When you are in social situations if you are constantly checking your phone to look like you are socializing and have discomfort in sitting still then this could be a sign of low self esteem. You don’t rely on yourself to cope in different situations and take help from other distractions to manage it. 

What To Do: Practice saying in your head, ‘I am enough and I love myself.’ Try not to pick up your phone again and again and stay in the present zone.

2. Criticism Is Taken Personally

Suppose, your boss or coworker gave you feedback or constructive criticism but you took it so personally that you started crying or breaking things around you. If you regularly take up criticism emotionally rather than positively, you might be showing signs of low self-confidence and low self-esteem.

What To Do: Before you react to criticism, take a few deep breaths and think about how you should react to it.

3. Negative Social Comparison

Sometimes social comparison can act as a positive function and works as a motivation to become better. However, if you compare yourself to others and become jealous of them, it acts as a dangerous aspect for your self esteem. Hence make sure that whenever you are comparing yourself to others, compare to only improve.

What To Do: Avoid comparing yourself to people in a negative manner, especially how Instagram and Snapchat show others to you.

This is how you can easily combat low self-esteem and live your live more confidently.

4. Makeup Becomes A Huge Part Of Life

Just because your self-esteem is low, you try to gain false confidence with the help of makeup or priming. You feel good about yourself only when a cover has taken over you and this only makes you feel a bit comfortable in moving out of the house.

What To Do: Start every morning by affirming yourself that you are beautiful and you don’t need someone’s approval to feel beautiful.

5. You Are Afraid Of Being Judged In A Conversation

While a conversation is taking place, you take a step back in sharing an opinion which is as good as others’. Moreover, you could also be engaged in negative self-talk and second guessing so many things at the same time.

What To Do: Avoid overthinking when putting your opinion in a conversation. Avoid doubting yourself and be open about your thoughts and feelings.

This is one of the best ways to overcome low confidence. 

6. You Give Up Too Soon

Reaching your goals and dreams is definitely a challenging task but this is why you took it up, right? Now giving up on your dreams way too soon before they start showing challenges makes you look weak and shows a symptom of a lack of confidence.

What To Do: If you start affirming yourself with ‘I can achieve my goals even if I face failure’ can help you in neither giving up nor losing confidence.

7. Body Slouching

Remember, your confidence or lack of self-confidence clearly depicts your body as well. If you slouch downwards often in public, cannot stand tall, or feel drowsy most of the time then it may act as a warning sign you have low self-esteem.

What To Do: Focus on your body posture every now and then. Put an alarm in your phone to remind yourself that you have to check your posture and do not let it go down.

8. Cannot Accept Compliments

Instead of nicely accepting the compliments by colleagues, friends or anyone around you, you brush them off. If you accept the compliments gracefully then it shows your self confidence.

What To Do: Tell yourself that you are lucky to have such abilities for which you are complemented and assure yourself that you have great qualities.

Try to accept compliments in a graceful manner and overcome the signs of low confidence.

9. Fear Of Failure

People with low self-esteem often are often scared to take steps that lead them toward success, knowing that failures would show up in between. This fear of failure makes them give up on their dreams rather than achieve them by fighting the failures.

What To Do: Accept that failure is an important part of reaching your goals and one shall not fear the change. Good things come to those who step out of their comfort zone and work aggressively towards their dreams.

How Low Self-Esteem Impact Your Mental Health?

Low self-esteem has numerous impacts on the mental health of a person, such as: 

• Anxiety 
• Stress 
• Eating disorders
• Addiction 
• Panic disorder
• Risky behaviors
• Substance use 
• Social anxiety disorder 
• Emotional distress

Sometimes, unrecognized or untreated low self-esteem can also develop serious mental health conditions like depression or suicidal thinking. Moreover, people also become more sensitive to rejection or criticism.

They start taking everything personally which makes them harder to face obstacles or challenges. Therefore, it is really important to seek the right support to overcome the signs of low self-esteem. Move on to the next section to learn about coping strategies. 

Causes of Low Self-Esteem

Talking about the causes, low self-esteem can be developed due to several factors: 

• Brooding
• Engaging in negative self-talk 
• Self-criticizing behavior 
• Having a history of mental health disorder 
• Low rate of resilience power 
• Learned maladaptive skills 
• Constant rumination 

Recap: Coping with Low Self-Esteem

Here’s a quick recap to fix your low self-esteem issue. Before starting, always remember that this process takes time and you must learn how to protect your mental health before anything else. 

• Focus on positive thinking 
• Practice self-care
• Notice your thoughts and try to put them in a journal 
• Forgive yourself for the mistakes or failures
• Practice self-acceptance
• Value yourself 
• Volunteer to help others
• Keep celebrating your accomplishments
• Most importantly, seek support whenever required 

Coping or recovery process of low self-esteem sometimes gets challenging… do not consider yourself a failure. In such situations, you can also consider seeking help from a certified and experienced mental health professional. 

Conclusion

We hope that you have found warning signs of low self-esteem here already. If you feel that these signs are present within you or your loved ones, share this article with them and also share

Comment down and share your views on low self-esteem and overcoming it. For more such content, connect with us on all social media platforms. 

Thanks for reading!