Would you recognize symptoms of low self esteem if you saw them in someone else's life or experienced them in your own? Our level of self esteem is perhaps the single most important factor in determining our happiness and success, and recognizing the symptoms of low self esteem is a vital first step in initiating desired changes in our lives.

Essentially, our self esteem is a reflection of how we feel about ourselves and, ultimately, it affects how we react to or interact with the situations and relationships we encounter. Low self-esteem has often been cited as a key contributor to many failures, negative attitudes, and broken relationships. However, many of us do not recognize low self-esteem within ourselves because we are not aware of the defining symptoms or factors.

We may feel discontentment or dissatisfaction about ourselves, our friendships, or our careers. We may realize that we are not enjoying the level of success and fulfillment that we desire. But, we may not understand that these thoughts and feelings are a product of low self-esteem. We need a little help with identifying the cause so we can begin the process of change.

Since the symptoms of low self esteem are numerous and varied, they can have many different looks, depending on the individual. What may cause negativity and depression in one person may manifest as anger or fear in another. An important step in improving our self esteem is to discover the symptoms we may be experiencing and realize the impact that these factors are having on various aspects of our lives.

We need to take the time to learn how we see ourselves and how that self-perception affects our attitudes, beliefs, and relationships. As with anything, we cannot break the cycle if we do not admit that we need to change. This acknowledgment empowers us to begin the process of transforming our attitudes about ourselves.

Change is a choice! Once we recognize the symptoms in our lives, we can decide to begin boosting our self-esteem by consciously making healthy and productive choices. Although breaking old patterns and building new brain pathways and behaviors can be difficult, we need to understand that we have the power to determine our own destiny and the direction our lives take.

From the time we are young, we are programmed to think and react in a particular way, and often our choices and reactions are so automatic that we don't take the time to question our feelings or consider a different response. To improve our self esteem, we need to take control of our decisions and empower ourselves to change.

We can incorporate self esteem exercises that affirm and encourage us and give us the power to implement necessary changes. Almost immediately, it will become very evident that changing the way we see ourselves changes the way we see others too. Altering our thought processes directly alters the way we view challenges. And improving our self esteem today allows us to take control of our future. Being aware of the symptoms of low self esteem is important for both building and maintaining positive feelings and thoughts about ourselves and is the first step in empowering self-improvement. We can make the choice for change right now!