Netizen Wonders: "What Screams 'I Have Low Self Esteem'?" And Receives 28 Answers

Self-doubt manifests itself in a subjective feeling of doubt in a person, in their capabilities and achievements. A person can be incredibly smart, skilled, and beautiful-looking, but at the same time, almost completely question all their external and internal qualities. As a result, all aspects of their lives suffer - from personal to professional.

Lack of self-confidence often negatively affects our self-esteem. If we are disappointed in ourselves in certain situations time and again, sooner or later, this will become completely destructive to our self-esteem. In other words, isolated manifestations of self-doubt will develop into constant low self-esteem.

You shouldn't think that self-doubt is inherent only in certain people. At different points in life, many people have faced similar problems - even incredibly successful and attractive ones. For example, David Beckham, a world-renowned style icon and outstanding athlete, once suffered from problems associated with his self-doubt.

In 1998, when the young football star's intemperance led him to get sent off at the FIFA World Cup in a match against Argentina—and England left the tournament largely because of this—the player faced a huge wave of criticism. As a result, Beckham sometimes doubted even his physical attractiveness and athletic skills, but over time, he managed to cope with these issues and become who he is today.

By the way, another clear manifestation of self-doubt is the so-called "impostor syndrome." When we achieve success thanks to our work, our knowledge, and our skills, but still, for some reason, we are 'sure' that everything happened by chance, that we have no right to be where we are, and that sooner or later, we will be 'exposed.'

In 2015, Natalie Portman, speaking to Harvard students, recalled that she herself had experienced manifestations of impostor syndrome more than once. The famous writer, Pulitzer Prize winner John Steinbeck, once wrote in his diary: "I am not a writer. I deceive myself and others." What can we say if the great Michelangelo once wrote in his old age: "In art, I have only learned the basics..."

However, most often, self-doubt simply prevents us from achieving any success in our careers or in business. A person is afraid to ask for a raise, doesn't want to express their ideas during brainstorming sessions, isn't ready to change an unloved job - simply because they're almost sure that they won't be able to find a new place. This is simply a fear of losing what they have, not living up to expectations.

"There are many reasons why we become insecure - from unhealthy relationships in the family to school bullying and even copying other people's behavior patterns," says Irina Matveeva, a psychologist and certified NLP specialist, whom Bored Panda asked for a comment here. "Yes, usually self-doubt is instilled in childhood."

"If a child regularly faces excessive criticism from their parents, they are constantly compared to others, not in their favor, or are overprotected - this is the first step to low self-esteem and insecurity. And what's interesting is that such patterns are often inherited, because the parents themselves faced something similar in childhood."

"As a result, we acquire negative thinking patterns, are constantly afraid of failure (and disappointing someone with this), and experience difficulties in social relationships. The good news is that all this can be fixed. The bad news is that even with the help of a qualified specialist, it will take a long time to cope with this," Irina sums up.

Is it possible to cope with insecurity on your own? Most likely, yes - you just need to praise yourself more often, focus on your own strengths and advantages, keep a diary of your successes, and record the cause-and-effect relationships that actually led to these successes. Just to show you clearly, you are successful not because you are lucky, but because you are really good!

We believe that the list of signs and stories that we suggest you to read today will help you either identify your own manifestations of insecurity or find something similar in your loved ones. And then, quite possibly, you will simply become a cornerstone for them on the path to increasing self-esteem. After all, there's nothing better than a happy person next to you, right?