ISSUES
: Body Confidence
29
Chapter 2: Self-esteem
Self-esteem
Chapter
2
Self-esteem is how you feel about
yourself
People with high self-
esteem:
Ö
Feel good about themselves,
most of the time.
Ö
Respect themselves.
Ö
Take responsibility for their
feelings, thoughts and actions.
Ö
Tend to think of mistakes or
problems as chance to grow
and change.
Ö
Have a positive attitude.
Ö
Show good judgment.
Ö
Demonstrate good problem-
solving skills.
Ö
Maintain
healthy,
close
relationships.
Ö
Have confidence in new
situations.
Ö
Try new things with courage and
zest.
Ö
Are trustworthy.
Ö
Are self-motivated.
Ö
Are open to feedback.
Ö
Aren’t afraid to seek goals that
may be challenging.
People with low self-esteem:
Ö
Don’t believe in themselves.
Ö
Often seek approval from others.
Ö
Participate in things at others’
requests.
Ö
View mistakes or problems as
personal failures and internalise
these failures as a reflection of
their selves.
Ö
Have a negative attitude.
Ö
Have poor judgment.
Ö
Possess poor problem-solving
skills.
Ö
Have unhappy relationships.
Ö
Are nervous in new situations.
Ö
Don’t stand up for themselves,
their values or beliefs.
Ö
Let other people take advantage
of them.
Ö
Have difficulty saying “no”.
Ö
Tend to be self-critical of their
body, behaviour and life.
Low self-esteem can lead to:
Ö
Excessive worry
Ö
Depression
Ö
Alcohol, tobacco, or other drug
use/abuse
Ö
Eating concerns
Ö
Suicide
Ö
Poor body image
Ö
Unhealthy relationships
Ö
Making unhealthy sexual health
decisions
Ö
Anger and aggressive behaviour.
Who and what influences our
self-esteem?
Ö
Family members
Ö
Friends
Ö
Teachers, coaches, caregivers
Ö
The media
Ö
Strangers
Ö
Experiences.
From the moment of birth, our self-
esteem begins to take shape by
what others think about us and how
we are treated. Family members and
caregivers are powerful influences
on shaping our early self-esteem. As
children, we didn’t have the ability
to critique messages or form our
own opinions of ourselves. We saw
ourselves through the eyes of others.
