Self Esteem Blog

The mental barriers stopping you from getting therapy

You’ve considered the cost of counselling, picked a properly qualified therapist and even manged to find a suitable day.  But unless you can overcome the mental barriers stopping you from getting therapy, you might stay stuck. Trapped in a loop of making and then cancelling appointments. Or selecting the counsellor you like the look of, … Read more

Self-esteem and neurodiversity

Self-esteem and neurodiversity is a hot topic at the moment. After many years of barely being mentioned, it now dominates social media, demands column inches and frequently features on the news agenda. Most of us know the deflating feeling of struggling with a subject at school, or of desperately trying to manage a difficult social … Read more

Forgiveness and self-esteem

Forgiveness and self-esteem may seem to be only loosely linked. But dig deeper, or examine your own experiences, and you’ll know that holding a grudge brings up some hard feelings. There’s anger (a lot of it), righteous indignation, bitterness. And, beneath all that, there can be a stagnant sense of guilt or shame. Because, despite … Read more

Woman with long brown hair on an urban balcony smiles at the camera. She is wearing a white long sleeved, polo neck sweater under a black pinafore dress.

3 surprising signs of low self-esteem

When you hear the word low self-esteem, what do you imagine? Perhaps, a woman, round shouldered, stooped, hiding behind her hair. Everything about her demeanour suggests she wants to disappear. But there are just as many women who hide their low self-worth well. So well, they hide it even from themselves. And, unless you were … Read more

Woman with long brown hair looks at herself in the mirror and practices self compassion.

How to manage counselling when you find talking hard

We’ve all heard the cliches it’s good to talk, or a problem shared is a problem halved. But how do you manage counselling when you find talking hard? And even if you’re confident chatting about the minutiae of everyday life, really opening up your emotions is different. It can expose you to a whole new … Read more

Book Review: Do Nourish How to Eat for Resilience

I was a little apprehensive as I opened Do Nourish, How to Eat for Resilience by Sarah Bayliss. Although I’ve long been interested in the intersect between optimum nutrition and mental health, I’m also quickly irritated by the sanctimonious attitude that some nutritional experts adopt. I’m exhausted by thoughtless talk about beach bodies, bone broth … Read more

A woman with blonde hair, sitting on her cream sofa with her dog and some candles lit.

Managing your mental health in the winter months

We all know the colder months can be physically hard. Long nights, dark days, permanently hunched shoulders and a house that won’t stay warm. But managing your mental health in the winter months can be challenging too. And not just for those who suffer Seasonal Affective Disorder. Three months of grey skies and hard ground, … Read more

Tall man with brown hair and a moustache and beard looking into the mid-distance as he hugs a shorter woman with dark blonde hair.

Rethinking divorce and separation

Over the past few decades we’ve done a lot of thinking. And most of us have changed our views on smacking children, smoking on top decks of buses and working from the office 5 days a week. And now it’s probably time to rethink divorce and separation. Once considered a massive personal failure, and a … Read more

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What you need to know if you’re thinking of starting counselling

Thinking of starting counselling as a way to see in the new year? Excellent. Hopefully your experience will be as fulfilling as mine. Because for me, I went from a brittle, highly strung version of myself, to a calmer one. And then, eventually, a qualified counsellor. I don’t know if your road will be similar … Read more

Book review: Directional Living by Megan Hellerer

Directional Living by Megan Hellerer (pictured) did not exist when I was in my twenties. But had it, I’m confident I could have saved myself a lot of grief throughout  a particularly dire decade. Because I too could have done with some support in getting unstuck, finding career fulfillment and discovering a life that was … Read more

Help, I’m spiraling into depression

Ever experienced life going along normally, nicely even, and then the next day, you’re spiraling into depression and low self-esteem? How did you get here, and is it possible to claw your way back before you reach rock bottom? The answer is yes. You might be plummeting now, but there’s still time to turn things … Read more

The benefits of low self-esteem

Talking about the ‘benefits’ of low self-esteem sounds a little confusing, and even counter intuitive. It’s hard to believe, as you watch your life pass by, that there are advantages to feeling like this. But there are. The fact remains, that low self-esteem comes replete with secondary gains. And it can be these little kickbacks, … Read more