SELF-esteem is your overall opinion about yourself – how you feel about your abilities and limitations.
When you have healthy self-esteem, you feel good about yourself and see yourself as deserving of the respect of others. Healthy self-esteem colours how you project yourself to the world and respond to any circumstances that life throws your way.
Self-esteem tends to fluctuate over time, depending on your circumstances. It's normal to go through times when you feel down about yourself and times when you feel good about yourself.
Generally, however, self-esteem stays in a range that reflects how you feel about yourself overall, and increases slightly with age.
What of those who ‘suffer’ from an excess of self-esteem? Is an inflated ego a sign of a personality disorder?
What if low self-esteem debilitates you in all aspects of your life – is this something you can overcome with therapy?
Where self-esteem is concerned, can you fake it till you make it? Dr Joel answers this question and more. – The Vibes, August 22, 2022
Dr Joel Low is a clinical psychologist and director at The Mind Psychological Services & Training, and an exco member of the MSCP. He specialises in cognitive behavioural therapy and works with a wide range of clients to help them reach their goals.
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Produced by Shazmin Shamsuddin and sound engineered by Ethan Phoon.
