Does Debt Have You Down?

Considering the current economic climate, I found this article very timely.  It's important to know that sometimes when our self esteem is down, it's not because there is something wrong with us inside, but that there is something outside in our environment that is the problem.

 

IN DAVID COPPERFIELD , Dickens outlined that money management was an emotional issue through the words of the fictional Mr Micawber: “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.”

Bottom line here, is that if it costs you more money to live than you make, life is going to be a struggle. 

 "... one of the first steps for people with financial difficulties is to acknowledge both the nature of the problem and what they feel about it. “There is a clear link between financial issues and depression,” she says. “But people don’t always make the link themselves. Sometimes you get people coming in saying, ‘I’m feeling low. I’m feeling depressed’, and they don’t say why. Then we look at the external factors and see redundancy or debt in the background. People need to acknowledge their problems and what they’re feeling about them in order to move on.”  The Emotional Cost of Debt

I have seen over and over again people who underestimate the circumstances of their life as the cause for how they feel. I'm all for positive thinking, and I think everyone should strive to be as positive as possible, but if there is something external in your life that lowering your vibration,  you have to find a way to improve that circumstance before you'll be able to feel the full effects of positive thinking.

Self esteem help is about bringing your internal and external worlds into harmony.

Does Abortion Affect Self Esteem?

A new study from Oregon Stat University and the University of California, San Francisco, found that having an abortion does not increase a pregnant teenagers likelihood of experiencing low self esteem or depression.

The researchers used data from 289 respondents to the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Data were taken from three survey waves, starting in 1994-1995, surveyed again one year later, and then five years after that. The study is available online and will appear in the December issue of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.

Lead author Jocelyn Warren, a post-doctoral research associate at OSU, said the study was intended to fill a major gap in abortion research.

"We know most teen pregnancies are not wanted pregnancies and an unwanted pregnancy can be very stressful," Warren said.

She said previous research has shown that adolescent girls who get pregnant report more depression and lower self-esteem compared to those who don't. "What we didn't know was whether psychological outcomes are worse for girls who choose abortion. This study says, 'No.'"

 Science Daily

While it may be true that their is no evidence that abortion causes additional self esteem and depression problems among teens, it is important to note that pregnant teenagers as a whole report more depression and lower self esteem than their non-pregnant counterparts. I believe that there is something to be said for breaking through old limiting beliefs to overcome repression of our minds.  .However, in this case, I think the emphasis should be placed on the fact that pregnant teens suffer more depression and lower self esteem.....not on the fact that teen abortions are no worse than teen pregnancies. 

Getting On The Focus Wheel

Last night I was in search of some inspiration and came across this.....

 

 

I don't know what it is about Esther Hicks, but she has a way of bringing me back to my center better than anyone.  If you are feeling lost and don't know what to do, start off by watching this video.  What Esther Hicks is talking about here changes lives.  This is a perfect self esteem help pick me up.

Quick Fixes

You're not going to find a more thorough article than this one!  Happiness – 10 Quick Fixes From Emotional Distress to Your Happy Centered Place  I have found that the exercises outlined in this article do a great job at bringing me back to a state of happiness.   Here's a little sneak peak:

 

 I’m not good at meditating but this technique works for me. I am lucky to live in a peaceful place so I can just sit in my yard, look at the canyons and do these breathing exercises – I drop my head down to my chest and I breathe in deeply and when exhaling, I am imagining that I am pushing out the negative emotions that are causing the clutching in my chest or that knot in my stomach. I keep doing this until the intense feelings are reduced. Then I replace it with thoughts of good things like how lucky I am to have a home, to have my health, to have good people in my life, to have a sound mind etc. This is an adaptation of Larry Crane’s release technique.

 

.....and the rest of the tips are just as good!  Getting happy is one of the first steps towards self esteem help.

Inspiring The Future By Giving A Kid A Sweet?

I was excited when I found an article online about student motivation and self esteem help, but then I read this line......

 

 

..."Students love to get a sweet candy from the teacher..."

 

 

Now to be fair, the article also talked about praising the students and encouraging them.  However, it goes on to say that self esteem is achieved when:

 

".....a student feels he or she is able to run a game, winning a key race club, scoring one point for team."

Student Motivation: Inspiring The Future

 

Besides the obvious poor grammar, there are other problems with this statement as well.  While it might be true that these things can make a person feel good about themselves, these are not the things that we should be focusing on when developing self esteem.  Self esteem comes from within.  If you allow external things to determine your level of self esteem, you will never be in control of your feelings.  Instead, your feelings about yourself will be controlled by what is happening in your life.  If things are good, you will feel good.  If they aren't, you won't.

Don't Be Too Nice!

Whether you realize it or not, everyday you are teaching others how to treat you. 

 

 

You teach others how to treat you on the basis of what you will tolerate. If you simply ‘take’ abuse you are sending out signals that you will tolerate abuse.

So logically when you begin to send out the message you won’t allow abuse and back it up with effective behaviour your abusers will not get the pay-off they are receiving which is manipulating you. But if you just take their actions against you, you are teaching them to use you as a dumping ground
http://personaldevelopment.suite101.com/article.cfm/teaching-people-how-to-treat-you#ixzz0zRp237qk

 

 

I heard a great radio interview on my drive home last night that really brought this issue to my attention.  Of course I already realized it, but I had never stopped to give it much thought, and I'm guessing I'm not the only one.  Teaching people how to treat you is a great tool for self esteem help. 

 

 

 

 

Study Proves Facebook Users have Low Self Esteem? Not!

If you ask me, this is a bunch of bunk!  First of all, the study only covered a small age group.  Secondly, the study uses pictures and quotes as an example of self promotion.  Please!  Maybe people just want to share things with their family and friends...did they ever think of that?  If anything, I think it's a sign of a good self esteem to be confident enough to put stuff out there on the worldwide web.

 

 

A recent Canadian study published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking has revealed that most Facebook users have low self esteem.

 

Soraya Mehdizadeh, psychology researcher at the York University and the lead researcher said that mostly narcissists and people with low self-esteem use Facebook as a self-promotional tool.

 

Read the rest of the article here:  http://www.breakingnewsonline.net/technology/3846-most-facebook-users-low-on-self-esteem-says-study.html

Postive Words and Crafting Your Own Affirmations

I love this quote!  It's a perfect example of how everything starts with the mind.

 

"Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep
your words positive because your words become your behaviors. Keep your
behaviors positive because your behaviors become your habits. Keep your
habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your
...values positive because your values become your destiny." ~Gandhi.

 

On that note, Check out my blog post on how/why affirmations don't always work. 

How to craft your own self esteem affirmations.

My Positive Thinking is Not Working!

The law of attraction was one of the first things I found when researching self esteem help.  We all know it's great to think positive, but what if it's not working?  What if you see nothing changing? 

This is something we all face from time to time, and normally the reason is because we are still spending most of our day thinking about negative things.  It's great to spend some time visualizing, meditating, and writing in a journal, but if you spend the rest of your day in fear and worry, you won't see a change.

Self Esteem Awareness Month is Here

September is Self Esteem Awareness Month!  A perfect month to kick off your self esteem help regimen with daily journaling.  Of course I'll be giving other ideas along the way. :)

 

One of the secrets I discovered with journaling is that the power is in the pattern.  After a week or so of writing, read back through your journal.  You'll be amazed at the patterns you discover.