Counseling For Empowerment And Increasing Self-Worth
Feeling inadequate or "not enough" eventually becomes exhausting. Like many, you are tired of struggling with a poor self-image and self-doubt. Your dreams and life goals are taking a backseat to the constant striving without success. Your life would be more meaningful if you could finally feel like you are enough. Low self-esteem happens for many reasons, and how you talk to yourself also impacts self-esteem. If you want to change your negative self-talk, therapists have various tools to help you achieve that goal.
You can improve your mood and enhance your emotional well-being by learning to shift negative self-talk. Once you learn some of these valuable skills in therapy, you may begin to notice how your negative self-evaluation has led to anxiety, sadness, depression, and low self-esteem. Shifting the way you speak to yourself is not easy, it takes practice. What follows are some helpful strategies to help you on your journey to improve your self-esteem.
Develop Awareness - Begin by becoming aware of your patterns and the way that you use negative self-talk. What thoughts are contributing to your low mood? Journaling can be a useful resource for you to track your experience.
Practice Self-Compassion - Treat yourself with the same kindness you would offer a friend or family member. Recognize that everyone makes mistakes and that you're worthy of forgiveness and understanding. Learning to offer yourself the same comfort that you would give to a loved one will help you heal. You can literally put a hand on your heart as you offer yourself comfort.
Challenge Negative Thoughts - When you catch yourself engaging in negative self-talk, question those thoughts. Ask if they're based on facts or if there's a more positive or realistic perspective. Do you have any concrete evidence to support these thoughts or are they habitual?
Reframe Negative Thoughts - Get into the better habit of replacing negative self-talk with more realistic and helpful alternative statements. Since we all make mistakes, learning to reframe mistakes as part of being human will help you have a more reality-based appraisal of yourself.
Engage in Positive Self-Affirmations - challenge habitual negative self-evaluations with positive affirmations to be used regularly. You likely have reinforced the negative for years. Neuroscience tells us that the brain is plastic and it’s not too late to “grow the good” with repeated positive affirmations.
Avoid Comparisons - Focus on your own growth rather than comparing yourself to others. Everyone has their own journey, and comparisons can often lead to negative self-judgment.
Celebrate Your Strengths - Regularly acknowledge and celebrate your strengths and accomplishments. Make a list of things you're proud of and review it when you're feeling down.
Challenge Perfectionism - This is a tough reality, but it doesn’t exist, no matter how hard you try. Perfect is not achievable. Learning that “good enough” is a concept worth striving for as you embrace flaws and imperfections as just another human trait.
Surround Yourself with Positive Influences - Spend time with people who uplift and support you. Their positive reinforcement can help bolster your self-worth.
Develop New Skills - Learning something new can boost your confidence and give you a sense of accomplishment. It also shows that you are capable of growth and change.
Mindfulness Meditation - Engage in mindfulness practices to observe your thoughts without judgment. Meditation can help you detach from negative thoughts and return to the present moment, reducing their power over your mood.
Practice Gratitude - Focus on what you’re grateful for in your life. Gratitude can shift your perspective dramatically. Allow this to become a regular moment-to-moment practice for yourself.
Practice Self-Care - Learning to prioritize self-care is an essential skill that helps promote well-being. Self-care includes maintaining movement for the body, getting enough sleep, sticking to a healthy diet, and learning supportive relaxation techniques like breathing exercises, meditation, and restorative yoga.
Focus on Solutions - Instead of dwelling on all the problems and obstacles, shift your focus to solutions. Ask yourself, “What can I do to improve this situation?” Taking action can boost your sense of control and efficacy. Mastery is an important skill that enhances self-esteem.
Set Realistic Goals - When you set unrealistic goals, you may find yourself falling short of achieving them, leading to setbacks. Allow yourself the opportunity to succeed by setting achievable goals. Visualize the kind of outcome that you’d like to have.
Seek Professional Help - If you're struggling deeply with self-esteem issues, talking to a therapist or counselor can provide valuable insights and support.
Remember that changing habitual negative self-talk is a process that takes time and requires patience you practice shifting your relationship with yourself, you will notice an improved mood, which will lead to enhanced mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Practicing self-help strategies will give you the confidence you need to live the life you desire. There are many expert therapies to help you improve your low self-esteem. One of my favorite modalities is EMDR therapy. EMDR therapy successfully helps clients get to the root cause of their low self-worth.
Improve your Self-esteem and confidence with Holistic Psychotherapy & Wellness Manhattan
Kimberly Seelbrede, LCSW is an experienced New York State licensed Psychotherapist, EMDR Practitioner, and Couple Therapist with a private practice in New York City, Montana, and virtually. As a psychotherapist and holistic wellness consultant, she has received advanced, extensive training and offers a range of therapeutic modalities, including trauma therapy, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Somatic Experiencing (SE), Yoga Therapy and Nutrition & Integrative Medicine For Mental Health. She is passionate about honoring the exquisite interplay of the mind-body connection. Kim Seelbrede has a niche practice specializing in helping dynamic, high-achieving women improve their mental health with mentoring & coaching.
Other New York therapy services at Holistic Psychotherapy & Wellness Manhattan:
In addition to online therapy for anxiety, depression, trauma and relationship struggles, Holistic Psychotherapy & Wellness offers a wide variety of online services to fit the needs of busy New York professionals. New Yorkers often lead fast-paced and complex lives, which makes work-life balance and managing career, family and social obligations a challenge. Psychotherapy and wellness practices provide the support to help clients cultivate resources, resilience, and enhanced emotional health, as well as uncover conflicts and obstacles that may interfere with having the life they desire. EMDR therapy successfully treats a range of concerns, including shame, addiction, codependency, procrastination, and more.
Building optimal mental health takes time, and requires an investment of emotional energy. This practice offers many holistic practices to offer you comprehensive mental health care. Take a look at this website and discover how therapy with an experienced NYC therapist can help you develop the skills and resilience you need to heal deeply.
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