At some point or another, all of us have less-than-favorable feelings about ourselves. More often than not, however, we’re able to effectively bounce back and maintain a reasonably positive self-image. So, if you’ve been down on yourself for an extended period, it’s in your best interest to address the issue posthaste.
A perpetually negative self-image can lead to a host of confidence issues and adversely impact your mental health. So, if you’re curious about why your self-image is currently in tatters, take care to consider the following reasons.
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You Don’t Have Experience Giving Back
Facilitating positive change can be a great way to bolster your confidence and self-image while actively improving the lives of others. Regardless of where you’re based, you’re unlikely to find a shortage of opportunities for giving back. From food drives to community clean-up efforts to volunteer work, most communities have an abundance of ways for citizens to pay it forward.
Furthermore, if you’re in a good position to make financial donations, you may want to consider giving to a worthy cause. So, if there’s a certain cause that’s near and dear to your heart, don’t hesitate to fire up your favorite search engine and seek out organizations that are dedicated to said cause. Anyone looking to donate to a variety of impactful causes should pay a visit to the McCain Institute.
You Can’t Extricate Yourself from Unhealthy Relationships
Toxic relationships can have a profound impact on self-image, self-esteem and various other facets of mental health. Additionally, unhealthy relationships come in many forms, be they professional, romantic or familial. Regularly devoting time, energy or financial resources to people who bring you down, belittle you or make you feel generally worthless can be emotionally draining and lead to a troubling lack of self-respect.
So, if any of your personal relationships serve no purpose outside of causing you hardship, make your feelings known to the offending parties – provided, of course, you feel safe doing so. Some people are genuinely unaware of the hurt they cause and amenable to changing their behavior. However, if someone is fully unwilling to change their ways or the hurt they’ve caused is simply too great, you should strongly consider extricating yourself from the relationship.
Your Sleep Habits Leave a Lot to Be Desired
It’s difficult to overstate how important good sleep habits are to your physical and psychological well-being. So, if your current sleep schedule leaves a lot to be desired, there’s a good chance your poor self-image is at least partially related to poor sleep habits. That being the case, if the quality and duration of your nightly respite could stand to improve, there’s no time like the present to get on top of this.
For starters, you’ll need to assign yourself a bedtime – especially if you’ve gotten into the habit of going to sleep at inconsistent times. Furthermore, this bedtime should allow for at least seven to eight hours of slumber. As a child, you may have resented your parents for imposing bedtimes on you, but at the end of the day, bedtimes serve a vital purpose – namely, ensuring that we’re properly rested and energized for the day ahead.
To help ensure that your internal clock makes a timely adjustment to your new sleep schedule, take care to adhere to your bedtime on weekends and during periods of downtimes – at least until such time as you’re fully acclimated.
Additionally, if you have difficulty falling asleep, try embracing a relaxing pre-bedtime routine. For such a routine to be maximally effective, make sure to shut off any screens at least 30 minutes before hitting the hay. Next, engage in activities that soothe your mind and body and leave you primed for sleep. Examples of such activities include meditation, deep breathing exercises, reading and journaling.
Holding oneself in unfavorable regard can prove emotionally and physically draining. While we all go through periods of waning self-esteem, being stuck with a perpetual case of self-loathing is not something to be taken lightly. So, if your self-image has been under constant siege for quite a while, it’s in your best interest to tackle the problem sooner rather than later. Among other things, this entails identifying the root cause(s) of the issue. If any of the potential causes outlined above apply to you, make sure to seek out appropriate treatment on the double.
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