I have been corresponding with a lovely young woman from my Facebook group, A Safe Place for Cutters. She has been feeling down because she has enormous stresses in her life such as having to care for an ill parent, hold down a job and go to school. This has caused her to start cutting again and she feels she is not able to see a therapist because if she did her family might find out and know she is cutting again.
Although she is a member of my Facebook group, she believes that no one in the group would be interested in listening to her problems despite many people in the group expressing openness to being available to “listen” anytime. I referred her to my blogsite because there were some blogs that elaborated on some of the ideas I was sharing with her and found that she had never read my any of my blogs, which I write with people like her in mind.
This got me to thinking how low self-esteem narrows one’s world. You think you are so worthless that you cannot reach out to all the help and caring people that genuinely want to help. The belief that you are insignificant puts blinders on you and causes you to feel like you are in a rut because you have so narrowed your world you can’t see past the wall you have built around you. You find it difficult to make new friends because you are afraid others will judge you and this causes the relationships that you do have to be shallow. You believe that everything is your fault and everyone is out to get you. You tend to catastrophize and use the worst labels you can think of. Low self-esteem is a destructive force that clouds your vision making it difficult for you to see the wonderful person God made you as.
Lift yourself up by surrounding yourself with as many positive people and experiences as you can. If you don’t know where to start, start with the Bible which has been a great source of hope for the downtrodden for centuries.
Check out this website http://www.testcafe.com/sest/ for a quiz that will help you determine your level of self-esteem. Let me know what you learn about yourself.
To a life worth living,
Foresteen Forbes, Psy. D.
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1 Peter 5:7 (KJV)
*If you would like to be a member of my Facebook group “The Safe Place for Cutters,” please find me on Facebook and invite me to be your friend. Click here!
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