Thursday, April 28, 2011

The Self-Esteem Connection






When we are trapped in a cycle of food abusive behavior we don’t usually feel very good about ourselves. Why is it so hard to be proud of ourselves? Why do so many of us have such poor self-esteem? To answer this, we must examine what self-esteem is, how negative self-esteem develops and what we need to do to improve it. Self-esteem is not solid. It is fluid. Many people think of it as something that “just is.” You may have heard someone remark that they have high or low self-esteem and that is the end of it. Well, it really isn’t that way. Think of self-esteem as a river. Sometimes there is plenty of water in it and it flows freely. We may see sun sparkles reflected in it and it is quite beautiful. At other times, the water in our river may be quite low and we see mud, old tires and rusty things sticking up – not very attractive!

Self-esteem is like this river. It is high at times, low at others. Water flows into the river through positive messages we receive from ourselves and from others. Water flows out, however, when we hear and absorb negative messages. Think about this. When we were children, our parents expended a great deal of energy to take care of us. Since they had a limited amount of energy and wanted us to grow up doing the “right” things, they usually focused more attention on us when we were doing something wrong. If we were doing something unacceptable, that behavior had to be corrected. If we were not, there was no need to say
anything to us.

So, most of us grew up being exposed to an abundance of negative remarks and few positive ones.
Now is the time to turn your negative energy into positive. Only you can do it. Shower yourself today with positive self talk. Notice and appreciate all the amazing things about yourself. You are a special being and you deserve to enjoy your delicious life and to feel good. So, how about writing a list of positive aspects of your life and hanging it up in your home and/or office as a reminder? Then let us all know how it was to do it and what changes you are making as a result. I would love to see your comments…
Oh yes, and please visit my new Amazon Page and “like” me there so we can keep in touch all kinds of ways!

Meanwhile, enjoy springtime!
Warmest wishes,
Dr. Denise

1 comment:

Self Esteem Poems for Children said...

Hi Friends,

Self esteem is basically a collection of all the things that you believe about yourself. This can be good or bad or a mixture of both. These beliefs you have about yourself, shape and influence everything you do and feel. Thanks a lot for sharing with us...