It’s not an inherited trait, it’s a learned skill. Anyone can possess high self-esteem if they really want to. But for some, building positive thoughts about oneself is often difficult. Most people feel bad about themselves from time to time. Feelings of low self-esteem may be triggered by being treated poorly by someone else recently or in the past, or by a person’s own judgments of him or herself. This is normal. However, low self-esteem is a constant companion for too many people, especially those who experience depression, anxiety, phobias, psychosis, delusional thinking, or who have an illness or a disability. If you are one of these people, you may go through life feeling bad about yourself needlessly. Low self-esteem keeps you from enjoying life, doing the things you want to do, and working toward personal goals. Everyone has the right to feel good about themselves. But sometimes, it can be very difficult to feel good about oneself when one is under stress, and having situations that are hard to manage such as dealing with disability, having a difficult time financially, going through a bad relationship, or when others are treating you badly. At these times, it is easy to be drawn into a downward spiral of poor self-esteem. Feeling good about oneself is the most important part of living a life full of joy and vitality. Self-esteem is based on how you see your abilities and your worth as a person. People with low self-esteem are often shy, anxious, and often battle depression. They are negative about themselves and their abilities. Because they don’t feel worthy, they are more likely to do things that are not good for their health, such as going on starvation diets and smoking. People with high self-esteem tend to be secure and confident. They see themselves and their abilities positively. Because they know it is important to take care of themselves, they are more likely to eat well and to have a healthy lifestyle. However, gaining self-esteem is not as hard as anyone thinks, so why not start doing something about it right now. All steps, big and small, towards gaining self-esteem fall into two main categories: Avoid the negative and accentuate the positive. Here are some steps to improve self-esteem: Be positive about yourself and accept compliments that point out your strengths and abilities. Be realistic about what you can do. Trying to be perfect and comparing yourself with other people can damage your self-esteem. Recognize that everyone makes mistakes. When you make a mistake, do not put yourself down. Learn from your mistakes. Listen carefully to others, without judging. Respect people’s differences. Recognize their strengths and accomplishments. Acknowledge the things others do that help your family, your workplace and your community. Support and encourage other people’s efforts to learn new things. Give people in your family unconditional love. Spend time with people who make you feel good. Do things that make you feel worthwhile. But, most of all, exercise can be a practical choice to help one improve self-esteem. It’s hard to feel negative when all those endorphins are all pumped up. Plus, anytime you feel as though you are doing something positive for yourself —- you are actually building your self-esteem.
Tag-Archive for ◊ anxiety ◊
They say a healthy and harmonious relationship promotes well-being to the people involved in it. But what happens when the marriage starts dwindling? When the sparks seem to have disappeared? Anxiety builds up – anxiety that will destroy the couple’s general outlook on relationships. And what’s the first solution that comes to mind? Marriage counselling. But before trying to save a dwindling relationship, we need to understand how many stages marriage passes. There are 4 stages that every successful marriage goes through. These are: Romance or Honeymoon stage; Reality stage; Accommodation stage; and the Transformation or Success Stage. Stage one, the honeymoon stage. Newlyweds are still caught up by the excitement and romance of their relationship. At this point, sexual attraction is still at its strongest. At this point in the marriage, partners disregard differences, sometimes even taking it as a good thing, as they discover each other and sharing a life together. During this stage, couples think that the marriage will go smoothly and will work itself out naturally. Couples, at this time, think that their relationship will last forever as they are overflowing with love. Stage two, the reality stage. This stage is where reality starts setting in. This is when the couple start learning more about themselves and each other in different situations they haven’t gone through as a couple before. Some of the situations the couple may encounter may not agree to their prior expectations and may end up causing conflict. Oftentimes, couples notice that there are more things they disagree on during marriage as compared to when they were still dating. This stage is the most challenging part of the relationship, and puts the marriage at higher risks of affairs and divorces during the first two years. The reality stage brings about certain feelings of disappointment, isolation and a let-down after the excitement of the wedding period. Couples start harboring feelings of anxiety towards the whole marriage and often misinterpret this natural transition as incompatibility and start thinking that they’ve chosen the wrong partner. Also, during this phase, sex feels more of a routine as the excitement fades away. Some couples equate this to losing the so-called “spark” of the relationship and is also misinterpreted a lost of times. Couple who have not foreseen this stage of the marriage begin feeling alienated and start drifting apart at this point in the relationship. Stage three, the accommodation stage. This is when couples work out their differences to renew the strength of their bond. This includes learning the needs of both partners and how to manage differences and areas of conflicts, and it should be done in a humble, down-to-earth manner. Stage four, the transformation or success stage. At this part of the marriage, the couple gets to enjoy the benefits of the marriage that is both capable to satisfy their needs and provide them mutual support. This eventually lead to a longer lasting intimacy as the couple shares all the experiences of ups and downs. This is the part where the couple enjoys the rewards of the hard work they put in during the reality and accommodation stage, and work to keep the relationship working smoothly. As mentioned earlier, during the reality stage of the marriage, couples grow anxious of each other as differences and conflicts of interest start resurfacing. As feelings of anxiety grow, so does the fear of having chosen the wrong partner. Couples then experience more and more difficulty getting along with each other and tend to want to break free from the marriage. This is where marriage counselling comes into play. During marriage counselling, doctors or trained professionals help the couple understand each other’s differences and help them work through it. This may also entail discussing the couple’s sexual activity and how each partner feels about it. Couple’s therapy may touch on sensitive issues such as infidelity, divorce, substance abuse, physical or mental illnesses, finances & unemployment, infertility; which could all end up harmful to the partners both physically and mentally. Counselling helps restore the intimacy and prosperity of the relationship. Of course, no amount of counselling or help will work without both partners consent to undergo such a process. Keeping a relationship, to be more specific, a marriage, is difficult and requires work. Love may be the reason couples are together, but it isn’t the only thing that binds them together until the end. It is important for would-be couples to understand these normal stages of marriage development before tying the knot to be prepared for whatever may happen during the marriage. Understand these development stages minimizes adjustment issues and helps set more realistic expectations of the relationship.
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I believe most people, if not all, are afraid of snakes. Unless one is a snake charmer, the sight of a snake would instinctively bring terror in our hearts. Though some would even make a pet out of these reptiles, most of us would still find it hard to get near tamed or caged snakes. But what I cannot understand is why even just the mere mention of “snake” would make my 31-year old buddy scream the hell out of his lungs. I found it a bit amusing at first. But when he kept being unreasonably afraid about it, it was then that I knew it was a serious source of fear, for him at least. Seeing his flushed face, goosebumps, and the uncontrolled shivering made me look for more information about what was exactly causing his extraordinary fear of snakes.. Ophidiophobia or the fear of snakes does not only refer to the fear of actual contact with live snakes but also even without live encounter such as seeing them in pictures, on tv or just the thought or mention of snakes would cause a full blown anxiety attack. Phobia and Anxiety We fear something because we sense imminent danger. And if the fear is valid, sometimes it helps us avoid the danger that is bound to happen. Our fear of getting scorched keeps us from touching anything hot or burning. Such fear is good. But irrational fear, also known as phobia, is something that becomes excessive and unreasonable. It is not just a petty quirk about food, person, or situations but a persistent, troublesome fear. It could be about something very real or simply a product of one’s wild imagination. But when situations are getting out of hand, has interfered with living a daily normal life, and is already beyond one’s control, it’s about time that the problem is addressed. All of us have experienced to be anxious whenever we are faced with stressful activities, problematic situations or traumatic events. Anxiety is our body’s natural reaction when face with a challenging situation or threat. However, if anxiety is keeping you from living a normal life, it becomes anxiety disorder Ophidiophobia may be experienced by both children and adults alike. And adults who realize that such fear is irrational may actually consider facing their fears. However, the thought of conquering the fear oftentimes bring them severe anxiety. Some are even so wrapped up with their phobia that they wouldn’t want to give it up. Treatment Common phobias, like fear of snakes, would seldom cause a disruption on your normal daily function as compared to severe phobia such as claustrophobia or the fear of being in confined spaces which can be an occupational problem when you are working in a small office. The most frequently used treatment for ophidiophobia involves re-programming your subconscious, which entails the “de-listing” of all the fear patterns stored in your memory. According to psychiatrists, this procedure is called Hypnotherapy, a scientifically sound technique used to decrease in symptoms of ophidiophobia.
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Many people identify the feeling of being depressed as being blue, feeling sad for no reason, or having no motivation to do anything.It occures when human endure feeling sadness or melancholy for long periods of time, it can last for several weeks to several years if left untreated. Sometimes we feel tired from working hard, or discouraged when faced with serious problems. This too, is not depression. These feelings usually pass within a few days or weeks. But, if these feelings linger and begin to interfere with work, school or family responsibilities, it may be depression. There is no single cause for depression. Many factors play a role including genetics, environment, life events, and certain thinking patterns that affect a person’s reaction to events. Research has revealed that depression runs in families and suggests that some people inherit genes that make it more likely for them to get depressed. But not everyone who has the genetic makeup for depression actually gets depression. And many people who have no family history of depression have the condition. So, although genes are one factor, they aren’t the single cause of depression. Life events – for example, the death of a close family member or friend – can go beyond normal grief and can sometimes lead to depression. Family and social environment also play a role. For some teens, a negative, stressful, or unhappy family atmosphere can affect their life and lead to depression. Social conditions like poverty, homelessness, and community violence can make it more likely for people to become depressed. We have to say that People who are depressed shouldn’t wait and hope it will go away on its own, because depression can be effectively treated. Although depression is one of the most common emotional problems, the good news is that it’s also one of the most treatable conditions.
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Despite their superstar status and larger-than-life personalities, the rich and famous are not immune to phobias or having intense fear. By being as prone to fear and anxiety as the rest of us, they reveal how normal they can be. These celebrities have fears that hound millions of other non-celebrities. What do these celebrities fear the most? Michael Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg, and Jennifer Aniston share the same fear of flying. Orlando Bloom is scared of pigs and Johnny Depp is afraid of clowns. Nicole Kidman is afraid of butterflies. And would you believe that Pamela Anderson is afraid of mirrors? Celebrities and non-celebrities can break out into panic attacks whenever they encounter that which they fear the most. While it is common to be just uncomfortable about facing a certain fear or scary situation, there are some cases when the fear can be so overwhelming that it causes total panic. What is a panic attack? A panic attack is a sudden intense fear followed by an overwhelming feeling of danger. It is often accompanied by anxiety, sweating, rapid breathing, and rapid heart beat. Panic attacks are sudden and unprovoked. It can even worsen into a debilitating condition that pose a devastating impact on a person’s family, work, and social life. An attack can occur at anytime and it can interfere with day-to-day activities. An untreated panic disorder can possibly lead to substance abuse, depression and, in rare cases, even suicide. Panic disorders can develop during the teen years or early adulthood. People with panic disorder have this dreaded fear of danger or terror and it could repeat without warning. It is far more intense than the feeling of simply being ’stressed out’. A panic attack includes: l trembling l shaking l sweating l chest pains l hot flashes l racing heartbeat l light-headedness l Fear that you are going crazy or about to die People who have full-blown, repeated attacks can be psychologically disabled by their condition and should seek treatment. They should also avoid places or objects that could trigger another panic attack. A panic attack is not dangerous, but it can be terrifying, largely because it creates a feeling of being ‘out of control’ on the part of the person who is suffering from it. Only a licensed therapist can diagnose a panic disorder. Occasional bouts with worry and moderate levels of anxiety are still considered normal. However, panic attacks that occur more than four times in a row is a sign that a person is under extreme psychological stress. Persons who experience frequent, debilitating panic attacks should immediately seek the assistance of a mental heath professional. Most insurance plans and health management organizations (HMOs) provide coverage that includes treatment for anxiety disorders. To make treatment more effective, people with panic disorders are advised to join a support group or undergo sessions with a psychiatrist. Even something as simple as talking to a trusted friend, a loved one, or a church counselor can do wonders. Stress management techniques and meditation can help people with such disorders. Regular exercise can also have some calming effect on a person saddled with worries.
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The media and the modern world both seem to be incredibly adept at inspiring fear and anxiety in people. Between reports of possible terrorist threats to the mundane possibility that your food could carry several bacterial infections, it can be very hard to find anything that can’t be connected with something unpleasant. All of this paranoia and anxiety can sometimes take a toll on a person’s mental health, even if the effects aren’t particularly obvious. This serves quite an amazing contrast with some many people espousing the message of “living life to the fullest” filling the airwaves. Of course, nobody really seems to have paid that much attention to how, exactly, to carry that out in today’s environment. The fact is, there are a lot of things that can cause fear and anxiety in the world. However, it should be kept in mind that people have been living and dealing with those problems for thousands of years. Europe had to endure the widespread infection remembered as the “Black Plague” and eventually recovered. The Chinese have carried themselves well through the turmoil and self-destruction of countless periods when the country was divided into warring states. The honest truth here is that, for the sake of your mental health if nothing else, you should just try not to worry too much. There is a certain level of risk that is to be associated with pretty much anything, but that doesn’t mean those things should not be done. There is no argument that the media has some influence over the mental health of people, although just how much is something left to speculation. There are some that theorize that, with the right combination of fear and anxiety caused by the media and environmental conditions, people can become exceedingly paranoid.