Do you feel worthy or deserving of love, respect and good things happening to you? Do you believe in and value yourself? These are important questions to ask yourself because these traits are the foundational pillars of having high self worth. Most people are familiar with the word self-esteem, which is very similar, but self-worth is defined as a deeper, more stable and ingrained version of self esteem.
It’s a core belief, whereas self esteem is based more on your circumstances in the present moment—how you feel about yourself and what you are doing in your current situation. For example, you can feel good about yourself for accomplishing a goal, boosting your self esteem, but deep down you can still feel unworthy or undeserving of the achievement. That’s having low self worth. That core belief can also constantly sabotage your efforts to the point of preventing you from achieving your goals at all.
When you’re experiencing low self worth there’s a tendency to judge and criticize yourself harshly, and have an overall low opinion of yourself, which can leave you in a never ending cycle of feeling deeply connected to what feels “shameful” or “wrong” about you. When you live with these core beliefs, it makes it really difficult to achieve success in any area of your life or feel 100% proud of yourself when you do. There’s a constant feeling like it’s not enough or you’re not enough.
The main sources of low self worth typically stem from our childhood: from caregivers or teachers in the form of constant criticizing, poor parenting, child abuse, neglect or trauma and from these childhood experiences we develop core beliefs. They can be so deeply ingrained into your being that it feels like this is just who you are. It’s helpful to know where the root cause of low self worth stems from so you can understand your personal experience better and start to shift those old negative core beliefs.
5 ways to increase self worth
Begin with Your Core Beliefs
Uncover the root cause of your core beliefs. They are deeply ingrained belief systems about yourself that can be negative or positive, contributing to high or low self worth. Learn more about core beliefs here.
Turn Negative Self Talk into Positive
Negative self talk stems from negative core beliefs. Once you uncover your core beliefs, begin to pay attention to what you say to yourself. Negative self talk stems from negative core beliefs. Learn more about negative self talk and how it contributes to a lack of confidence here.
Practice Self Awareness
Self awareness is a foundational piece for uncovering core beliefs, shifting negative self talk and establishing boundaries. Learn more about self awareness here.
Repeat Positive Affirmations
Shift negative self talk into positive affirmations. Affirmations help you create positive thinking patterns, enabling you to achieve your goals. Learn more about how to create and use affirmations here.
Establish and practice boundaries
Having difficulty establishing boundaries is a sign of low self worth. When you feel worthy, you require respect from others. Find a list of unhealthy and healthy boundaries here, along with tips for establishing better ones.
“Quiet that voice of doubt inside of you. You are good enough. You do deserve good things. You are smart enough. You are worthy of love and respect. You are amazing just the way you are. – Lorrie Faye
More Ways To Know Your Worth
In my healing practice, I help clients uncover core beliefs using Transpersonal Energy Healing and Bach Flower Therapy. The Bach flower remedy that can be helpful for feelings of low self worth is called Pine. Check out my YouTube channel for more information on Bach Flower Remedies and the benefits.
Increasing your self worth will help you feel more secure, self-accepting and resilient to life’s many challenges. It benefits your relationships, health and career so you can embrace opportunities, foster emotional well-being and feel successful inside and out.
