Self esteem is what we feel inside and its usually influenced by lots of things that happen in our everyday life,our environment and the people that surround us. Self esttem usually builds up in early childhood and it influences the way we perceive ouselves. It has to do with our perception of ourselves. Its a combination of thoughts and feelings one has for themselves and whether those thoughts are possitive or negative. Its an ongoing thing and it builds up over the years. Self esteem affects everything about how you think , feel and behave. It also has a huge impact on our Mental health. There is low self esteem and high self esteem. People with high self esteem believe in their potentials , value themselves, set goals and make decisions. People with low self esteem on the other hand tend to believe that they are not good enough, hesitate to achieve their goals and think that they have flaws.These people usually focus on their weaknesses or their mistakes. They find it difficult to recognise where they are good at. They usually blame themselves for the difficulties that come in their lives. Low self esteem (LSE) can affect whether one: • Recognises their strengths • Are able to achieve new goals and tasks in their lives • make decisions • Believe that they are good enough • Believe that they matter • Believe that they deserve happiness. People that have developed low self esteem are usually people that have experienced: • Neglect and Judgment in their childhood (acts from caregivers that made them feel and believe that they are not good enough and that whatever they do they will not achieve their goals. • People with Mental Health Problems • Problems at school and work • People that have been bulied in their past and abused in some way People that worried a lot about their appearance and their body image People that have had relationship problems in their past and made them feel that they are not worthy in bulding healthy relationships People that have come across some social stigma including racism People that have physical problems. Does self esteem affect our Mental Health? Low self esteem by itself is not a mental health problem but it is closely linked to other factors that are linkd to Mental Health. Such factors are: *Feeling Hopeless *Feeling Worthless *Worrying too much and overthinking *Blaming oneself *Hating oneself. What can we do to improve our self esteem? First of all we need to talk to someone we trust or a health professional. Not talking can have a negative impact since people bottle up their feelings and this makes things worse. Most of the time when people overthink they tend to believe in something that is not true. Talking always helps. If someone doesnt want to expose how they feel to a friend or a family member talking to a mental health professional is always a good choice. Second people can join a group or a society. Being part of a group can arise the feeling of belonging. It also boosts your self esteem and your confidence since you achieve new goals and tasks. Third choose the people in your life and who will be close to you. Let go of people that are toxic and bring negative vibes. Surround yourself with people that have possitive energy, that are honest, non judgemental and that have a possitive influence on you and how you perceive yourself. Fourth start believing in yourself and dont judge yourself negatively. What we tend to say and think about ourselves play a big role in who we believe we are. Fifth do not compare yourself to other people. Each one of us is unique. CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ) is the best treatment for people that have low self esteem. With CBT techniques you start to monitor yourself and you start being aware of all the good things about you. Believing in yourself is very important. Lets start from today. Everything is possible if one sets their mind to it. Always have in mind the famous quote from Mary Poppins “you are practically perfect in every way” . Fotini Giannakis Clinical Psychologist- Mental Health Professional