How does low self-esteem influence personal growth?

Many of the people who experience emotional distress on a day-to-day basis do not suffer from any kind of psychological disorder. However, this is not a reason to assume that this discomfort is something normal before which it is not possible to do nothing: there is much we can do to improve in our lives, also in the plane psychological.

An example of this is found in the forms of dissatisfaction linked to low self-esteem and obstacles to experiencing personal growth. Neither of these two situations are in themselves a psychopathology, but they have the power to make us suffer and even to make us learn to overcome them. And it is that the way in which we perceive and value ourselves has a lot to do with the ease with which we find exciting projects to which we dedicate time and effort.

In this article we will see how low self-esteem problems influence personal development, and why these psychological complications arise.

• Related article: "4 very frequent self-esteem problems, and how to manage them"

What are self-esteem and personal development?

To understand the way in which these two psychological elements are related, we must first understand what they are. Let's do it starting with a few brief definitions.

Self-esteem is the way in which an individual perceives and values ​​himself, having as a reference an idea of ​​the ideal "I". That is, self-esteem has both a descriptive component (how we think we are) and a moral and evaluative component (to what degree do we think we approach the idea of ​​"the good" and desirable). Thus, unlike self-concept, which is the set of ideas and beliefs that make up our concept of "I", self-esteem is linked to emotions of attachment or detachment towards oneself.

Regarding personal growth, it can be defined as the set of psychological processes that give us an idea of ​​a desirable life project for us, and that also includes the position we have reached in that progress. It has a lot to do with happiness, in the sense that it is not limited to the ability to experience moments pleasant in a timely manner, but it comes hand in hand with a feeling of well-being in the face of our past, present and future. In this way, enjoying good personal growth implies feeling that we are making our lives useful and meaningful, according to our values ​​and interests.

Of course, neither self-esteem nor personal development are realities that can be fully encompassed by such summary definitions of these concepts, but with these ideas we can already understand approximately in what consist. Now... how are they related to each other?

• You may be interested in: "Personal Development: 5 reasons for self-reflection"

4 ways low self-esteem limits personal growth

Since both self-esteem and personal development are complex psychological phenomena, they can interact with each other in many, many ways, depending on our personality, our values, our life context, our biological predispositions, etc. Here we will review the most common in cases in which the person has too low a level of self-esteem.

1. It is associated with a more passive lifestyle

Statistically, people with low self-esteem have a predisposition to stick their activities to what they know well. This results in a lifestyle based on monotony and the lack of new stimuli, so it is easier to stagnate and not come into contact with ideas and projects with the ability to "pull us" and make us leave the comfort zone.

2. Makes the fear of failure paralyze us

Along the same lines as the above, low self-esteem predisposes us to focus on catastrophic predictions about the results of our actions.

This makes it easier for us not only not to try our luck with new experiences, but also to get involved in not exposing ourselves to certain situations that can be considered a challenge. This happens by rejecting invitations to participate in group activities, not daring to present a promotion application in our company, not trying to go to language classes with a friend, etc.

3. Increases the risk of developing psychological disorders

Although low self-esteem is not a psychopathology, it can contribute to our developing a.

Both depressive disorders and certain anxiety disorders correspond to this dynamic of avoidance of complications and pessimism about one's own positive qualities and skills. And having developed these kinds of mental health problems, it is difficult to promote personal development until we have overcome the disorder first.

4. It generates distractions

Low self-esteem goes hand in hand with unpleasant everyday experiences: constantly remembering things that we did and that make us ashamed or make us feel guilty, suffer intrusive thoughts that produce us anxiety, etc. Because of that, it is easy for us to spend a lot of time trying to get rid of these disturbing mental images, reducing our ability to concentrate on tasks capable of promoting our personal development.

In addition, many times we get to adopt anxiety management habits that provide momentary relief but cause more problems in the long run: bingeing on food without being hungry, smoking, etc. This deteriorates our physical and psychological condition and takes us away from long-term goals.

What to do when faced with these types of problems?

If you notice that you have self-esteem problems that negatively affect your self-esteem, it is worth seeking professional psychological help. Therefore, if you are thinking of starting a psychotherapy process, contact me.