How Can You Benefit From CBT For Low Self Esteem?
BY READERS DIGEST
31st Mar 2019 Wellbeing
Low esteem can be a big problem and bring distressing moments to the person suffering. Failure to achieve even the most straight-forward personal goals may make it more difficult for the sufferer to lead a normal life and efforts should, therefore, be directed at helping them accept themselves and their perceived shortcomings.
The more they recognise their value, the more they are likely to face up to what they see as weaknesses and faults. In this article, we look at how you can overcome low esteem using CBT.
According to Kim Fisher, many people experience loss of self-esteem in their life. When it happens, it can affect relationships, work, and even overall health. It makes one vulnerable and susceptible to anxiety and depression, the person will feel insecure and something will keep telling them that they are not good enough. CBT can help them to overcome their issues and lead a normal life.
What CBT does
CBT helps people with low esteem to discover the problem that needs to be solved. The therapist must help identify the thoughts that make them think they are not good enough. One technique is to let the sufferer write down what makes them believe that they cannot do anything. It could be a long list, but it can help to identify the causes of low esteem. Once the negative thoughts have determined, they can then start thinking about how to replace them.
What to do to benefit from CBT
1. Give yourself credit
If there are things you have worked hard to accomplish, you need to identify them and give yourself credit. Feel proud for the action you took which brought results you are pleased with.
2. Don’t compare yourself to others
When you compare yourself with others, it becomes difficult for you to set your own standards. Learn to accept who you are and find contentment and motivation from it.
3. Focus your behaviour and thinking
CBT should be used to focus your feeling and action. It helps you to see things positively and work towards reducing low self-esteem. One may resort to using a set of strategies to test their beliefs and develop positive behavior. CBT therapy should help you to give more meaning to anything that happens. It enables you to develop a more effective response and discard those that you consider harmful.
CBT can help you deal with low esteem. So when you realise that you have negative beliefs, it is worthwhile consulting with a CBT expert to help focus your thinking. Again, when you notice that you are developing avoidance behaviors, find a way to retrain yourself so that you can think more positively.
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