Confidence is a state of mind. When we feel confident, we accept ourselves and believe in our abilities. When we don’t feel confident, we can become stressed, anxious, unfulfilled and ultimately unhappy. Low self-confidence is something many of us suffer with and can be a result of many factors like fear of the unknown, low self-esteem and fear of other people’s perceptions. This lack of confidence can hold us back from developing both personally and professionally.
Self-esteem is used to describe the opinion we have of ourselves. It refers to how we think, the type of person we are, our abilities and what we expect for the future. When our self-esteem is healthy, we tend to feel good about ourselves and have a positive outlook on life in general. A high self-esteem gives us the courage and strength to deal with the ups and downs in life – without them having a long-term impact on our health and well-being.
When our self-esteem is low, our thoughts and feelings about ourselves are generally negative. We are more likely to focus on our weaknesses and be overly critical of the things we do and mistakes we’ve made. Low self-esteem means our entire outlook on life is affected. We are also less able to cope with everyday challenges.
Our mental health can be severely affected by ongoing low self-esteem. Our relationships and physical health may also suffer. Seeking help is vital for ensuring long-term problems do not develop. Hypnotherapy for self-esteem is an increasingly popular means of treatment and support.
The terms ‘self-esteem’ and ‘self-confidence’ are often used interchangeably when we describe how we feel about ourselves. However, although self-confidence is related to self-esteem, they are two different concepts. Unlike self-esteem, self-confidence is the level of trust we have in our abilities, our sense of judgement and personal qualities.
Levels of self-confidence can vary depending on a situation. For example, one may be self-confident when it comes to doing mathematical equations, but not so much when it comes to reading and writing. Self-esteem on the other hand is how we feel about ourselves overall – no matter what the circumstance. Our self-esteem is shaped by our experiences and situations that have happened in the past. These determine how we feel about ourselves in the present.
It is not uncommon for someone who is self-confident to have low self-esteem – and vice versa. Ultimately, when you value yourself, your self-esteem improves. This makes you feel more confident. When you are confident in many areas of your life, you feel better about yourself. You can work on both simultaneously. Hypnotherapy is one of the ways you can do this, but on this page we are looking specifically into overcoming low self-esteem.
Hypnosis is a relaxing and safe process that involves redirecting the attention of both the conscious and subconscious mind. The aim of hypnosis for self-esteem is to identify and challenge patterns of negative thinking. It also encourages positive changes through the power of suggestion. Once you’re under hypnosis, a hypnotherapist will present various hypnotic suggestions, visualisations and other techniques. These help to promote positive thoughts, attitudes and beliefs that support a healthy self-esteem.
In the deeply relaxed state of hypnosis, your subconscious is more accepting of suggestions to change. By identifying your problems and goals in an initial conscious enquiry, a hypnotherapist can tailor their suggestions to meet your needs. In the case of hypnotherapy for self-esteem, the primary aim is to encourage self-empowerment and reduce negative self-talk. Thus promoting the development of long-term, healthy self-esteem.