1. You Are Indecisive.
Having low self-esteem can make it hard to be decisive. When you don’t trust your abilities or opinions, you have trouble making even simple choices. Even minor decisions can take hours, as you have trouble understanding what difference it will make in the long run what you choose. If you don’t feel your opinion matters to others, you will often defer to their choices, as well.
2. You have Difficulty Being Alone.
When you don’t feel good about yourself, you probably don’t enjoy spending time alone. Being alone is just more time to think the negative thoughts that are perpetuating your low judgment of yourself, so you may compensate by trying to always be around other people. Being with others, even if you are not actually taking part in social interaction, is often preferred to the feelings that are evoked when you are on your own.
3. You Consistently Compare Yourself to Other People.
If you are always thinking about and worrying over others who you think are more successful than you, then your self-esteem is likely low. When you allow thoughts of other people’s lives and accomplishments to fill the majority of your days, you are not valuing your own desires and needs. Low self-esteem can make it seem like you are the only one missing out on happiness, leading you to question what others are doing right where you are failing.
4. You Have Trouble with Relationships.
If you don’t like or value yourself, you may have difficulty believing others can care about you. Low self-esteem often leads to feeling very unloved, which can cause you to have trouble connecting with someone else on a deep level. Low self-esteem can cause you to seek validation or affirmation from a partner, which can feel clingy or needy to the other person, causing problems in the relationship as well.
5. You have Trouble Saying “No” to Others
When you lack self-esteem, it can be hard to accept that your needs are more important than someone else’s. This may cause you to say “yes” to requests that don’t match with your desires or because you want the other person to like you. If you fear rejection from someone, saying “yes” is a way to ensure they continue to find you valuable. But saying “yes” all the time also means your needs are being neglected.
6. You Care a Lot about How You Look
Those with low self-esteem often spend a lot of time worrying about their appearance. If you always wear make-up when leaving the house or can’t resist primping when you pass a mirror, you are likely very insecure and therefore must continue to primp and preen to mask this.
7. You are Always Apologizing
Low self-esteem often leads you to blame yourself for things that you didn’t really do. When your self-esteem is low, you may try to minimize your impact on others by apologizing for your behaviors. It is common for those with low self-esteem to apologize for talking about how they feel or for speaking their mind.
Does any of this sound like you? Or someone you care about? These are just a few of the signs of lowered self-esteem, but if you see them in yourself, maybe it’s time you asked yourself some tough questions. Are you ready to change your life and start valuing yourself more? Then, it’s time to boost that self-esteem starting today.