Sara Navarrete: "Habit is what holds us when motivation leaves"

Self-esteem is a psychological phenomenon related to practically all aspects of our daily life that have the capacity to affect us emotionally, either for better or for worse.

However, not everyone knows how to self-examine for aspects of their way of living life that may be negatively altering their self-esteem, nor take effective measures to promote self-esteem in a way adequate.

This is a reality that psychologists specialized in psychotherapy and couples therapy know very well, and for this reason, professionals in this field should be trained to help people with problems to relate appropriately to their own identity and their emotions. In this case We will talk about self-esteem with one of the experts on the subject, the psychologist Sara Navarreteshe, who has recently published the book "Increase your self-esteem: the 10 keys you need to change your life".

Interview with Sara Navarrete: she introduces us to the book "Increase your self-esteem: the 10 keys you need to change your life"

Sarah Navarrete She is an expert psychologist in self-esteem problems, relationships and emotional dependency, and on this occasion she presents us with her first book. "Increase your self-esteem: the 10 keys you need to change your life" is a work designed to bring the keys to emotional management linked to self-esteem closer to the general public.

How did you come up with the idea of ​​writing this book, and what is the main objective you set for yourself when thinking about its contents?

Without a doubt, my patients inspired me to do so. My goal is to reach more people and help us take responsibility for our happiness. Because while happiness isn't free, it doesn't cost that much either. The book is aimed at anyone who likes to keep improving, keep working on being the best version of themselves and, above all, achieve more and more satisfaction in their lives.

Is it difficult to write a book aimed at a general audience, taking into account that practically all readers should feel identified with its content?

It is complicated, since each reader has a different level of knowledge related to psychology. For this reason, in my first book I have decided to create content that is as simple as possible, direct and clear. I would highlight practicality, that is, "increase your self-esteem" is a book in which the reader You will find direct and simple keys to apply to your day to day and that will help you change and improve your life. It is also a book written in a very simple language and very quick to read.

How do you understand what self-esteem is?

For me self-esteem is a set of thoughts, perceptions, evaluations, feelings and tendencies of behaviors directed towards oneself, towards our way of being, and towards the features of our body and our character. That is, it is the way in which we perceive ourselves.

And what are the most common myths that you think circulate, at a popular level, about what self-esteem is?

The first great myth that we come across is that we always have to be happy and have high self-esteem.

This myth is given by the idea of ​​temporal distortion. When we think of happiness or love, we do so in absolute terms. If I am not or always feel good about myself, then I am not doing well. We cannot talk about emotions in absolute terms but in relative terms, that is, emotions can vary and must flow over time.

We cannot pretend to always feel good 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

Bearing in mind that relationships with others influence the way we see ourselves, is one of the ways of ensuring the maintenance of a good self-esteem may be to better reconsider the time we spend with each person, and therefore that?

We are not immortal and we act as if we were. Many times we think about things we want to do, but it takes a world for us to get down to it and we see it as impossible. It may also be that we are lazy or believe that we are not capable.

Some of the most limiting factors when it comes to setting ourselves challenges are laziness, lack of self-esteem and lack of patience In the world in which we live, increasingly fast and volatile, patience is a great virtue. We are getting used to getting results quickly and with minimal effort in many ways. of our life, and it is also what our children may be receiving from us and from our culture.

In general, it can be difficult for us to be patient, perhaps because we sit comfortably, which often does not make us feel satisfied over time. And this attitude is directly related to being more careful with the most precious asset we have in our lives. Time.

Among the ideas that the book presents to readers, which are those that you have learned through the practice of your years of experience as a psychologist?

The main idea and lesson I have learned is the power of habit. Whether on a professional, personal, sentimental level... wherever we intend to go, patience will accompany us until the end, being our great ally.

Harmony, self-esteem, our inner strength... They are qualities that will reinforce patience and will help us achieve our goals. Passion, enthusiasm, work, perseverance... They reappear around us.

It is true that motivation is the great motor from which all our energy comes and, if we are going to go for a goal for the that we will need effort, it is essential to be deeply motivated, that it be something that we like, that we really we want. But habit is what holds us when motivation leaves. And believe me, it will go away.

From what you have seen in your years doing therapy, are there self-esteem problems that, with the necessary information, could be solved in a relatively simple way in a matter of very Little time?

Correct; In my case, for example, when I work with my patients, we observe how their lives radically improve in just 8 sessions. It is about detecting and acting. In this way, when we improve self-esteem, a series of events cascade that intensely improve the lives of our patients in every way.