Self-esteem plays a significant role in your life. Your self-esteem has a profound impact on the choices you make in your life. It determines what you consider yourself capable and worthy of doing. Low self-esteem makes you at a higher risk of not fulfilling your real potential in life. Numerous factors can influence your self-esteem. These four factors can either build up your self-esteem or pull it down.
Your Childhood Affects Self-Esteem
Your childhood is one of the leading contributing factors to your self-esteem. During your childhood, as your personality and everything else is developing, everyone you encounter has the potential to influence who you become. This includes your self-esteem. For example, children who grow up in unstable households tend to have lower self-confidence and self-esteem and often carry that burden with them throughout their lives.
The Media
Our complete obsession with the media, whether it’s social media, television, or print ads, contributes to our society’s widespread self-esteem issues. The instant access to social media is especially damaging to young minds with the constant pressure to look and act like public figures, celebrities, and peers.
Friends and Family
The people that you spend time around have a considerable influence on your self-esteem. Your friends can help you build your self-confidence, self-image, and self-respect, or they can bring it down. Unfortunately, some in our lives will purposely try to harm our self-esteem to build themselves up.
Your family can also positively or negatively affect your self-esteem. Feelings of inadequacy when it comes to providing for your family can contribute to low self-esteem, while working together as a family and building one another up can contribute to healthy self-esteem.
Work Environment
You spend the majority of your time at school or work. The environment influences every aspect of your life, including your self-esteem. If you have a stressful and overly demanding position, it can often contribute to low self-esteem. Working in an encouraging and productive environment can positively influence your self-esteem and help you grow stronger.
Many factors can influence your self-esteem. Every part of your life can affect it, but the person that has the most control over your self-esteem is you. Start giving yourself good messages about who you are and stop beating yourself up to improve your self-esteem.
