Mid-life Renewal and Low-Self Esteem: Learning to Let Go the Rigid Negative Perceptions of Self

In our last encounter we stressed the importance for parents to develop positive strategies in order to promote a child’s self-esteem. Neglecting to do so not only breaks a child’s positive image but can also instigate the possibility of mental health low-self-esteem illnesses.

Parent-Child Interaction and Self-Esteem

Your self-esteem will reveal itself through verbal and non verbal behaviour, particularly in your ability to communicate and to socialize with others. Non-verbal behavioural signs such as your body position when you stand or sit, your effort valorising self-care, your level of motivation and creativity you nourish when instigating positive mid-life transformations and your effort to overcome any obstacles says a lot about your level of self-confidence and self-appreciation. Last but not least, your ability to communicate feelings, opinions and ideas are also signs of positive or negative self-esteem about yourself as a person.

Self esteem can become a serious concern – even reaching the stage of illness- if your personal concerns create interferences that affect your every day lifestyle

You need to pay close attention and request the need of professional assistance if your low self-esteem induces you towards an attitude of high dependence on others or on drugs, if you totally loose confidence in others, in yourself and in life, or if you develop a serious tendency to manipulate others.

In our next encounters we will develop the following three low-self esteem illnesses described below. For each illness I will present the signs and symptoms, the impact this illness plays on your personality, therapeutic approaches to help you control the illness.

Anxiety "Apprehension without apparent cause; it usually occurs when there’s no immediate threat to a person’s safety or well being, but the threat feels real."

Perfectionism "A learned internal motivation to strive for perfection based on the belief that self-worth is equate with performance."

Narcissism "Undue dwelling on one’s own self or attainments: self-love. Inspired from the Greek mythology Narcissus – a beautiful young man punished by the gods by making him fall in love with his own image, which he saw reflected in the fountain. He sat admiring himself day after day until he was pined away and transformed into the flower that we call narcissus."

THE SOURCES:

Misconceptions Regarding Self-Esteem by James Battle Ph.D,James Battle and Associates # 406 Edwards Building 10053 – 111 Street Edmonton, Alberta T5K 2H8 Copyright 1993

Webster New explorer College Dictionary – Editors of Merriam-Webster Inc.Springfield Massachusetts Copyright 2003

De l’estime de soi à l’estime du Soi – de la psychologie à la spiritualité by Jean Mombourquette Ph.D, Editions Novalis/Bayard Copyright 2002

The Complete Idiot,s guide to : Controlling Anxiety – Keep your fears and worries at bay by Joni E. Johnston, Psy. D. Alpha Books, 800 East 96th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46240 Copyright 2006

L’estime de soi, un passeport pour la vie, by Germain Duclos, Éditions de l’Hôpital Sainte-Justine 3175, chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montréal QC, H3T 1C5 Copyright 2004