Many people have an inherent negativity bias, that is, they are much more drawn by the negative and much likelier to notice and thus remember negative life occurrences. I believe that this is a large contributing factor to low self-esteem, as it is oftentimes much easier to notice our own faults and wrong doings, while taking for granted our accomplishments and positive qualities that make us a unique inhabitant of this earth. In my work with clients, I aim to shed light on the positives in an effort to help client’s re-story their lives from a narrative of lack to one of abundance. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to ensure we are a good fit.
Our overall wellbeing is affected by our level of self-esteem...to what degree we value ourselves as worthy of respect, are self-confident, are able to use our voice to set our boundaries and ask for our needs to be met. Negative thoughts we carry about ourselves at our core can cause our self-esteem to be low. The goal of therapy is to understand these core beliefs we hold about ourselves and reframe them or alter them in line with the present so that we can engage with life in a healthy way that brings us peace and happiness.
When our inner critic tears down our being, low self-esteem can masquerade as depression, anxiety and passivity. Our imagined versus lived experience (think social media or one-way experiences) can distort our ability to have healthy self and other relationships. It is good to have a talk with ourselves and know the parts that get loud or the parts that shrink. Having a healthier self-esteem means having a flexible, realistic and resilient responsiveness to various interactions both in yourself and with others.
In therapy, we explore how self-esteem and self-worth have been negatively impacted in your life. You will be provided with skills and strategies targeted to improve self-esteem, self-love and self-acceptance. We use modalities such as cognitive-behavioural therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy and psychoeducation.