In psychology, the term self-esteem is used to describe a person’s overall sense of self-worth or personal value. In other words, how much you appreciate and like yourself can be defined as your self-esteem. Self-esteem can play a significant role in your motivation and success throughout your life. Low self-esteem may hold you back from succeeding at school or work because you don’t believe yourself to be capable of success. By contrast, having a healthy self-esteem can help you achieve success because you navigate life with a positive, assertive attitude and believe you can accomplish your goals.

There are different factors that can influence a person’s self-esteem. Genetic factors that help shape overall personality can play a role, but it is often our life time experiences and sustaining them that form the basis for overall self-esteem. Those who consistently receive overly critical or negative assessments from caregivers, family members and friends, for example, are likely to experience problems with low self-esteem.

Some ways to deal with low self-esteem include identifying and challenging your negative beliefs, building positive relationships and guard avoiding negative ones, learning to say no when necessary, improving your physical health, and giving yourself a break- you don’t have to be perfect all the time