Low self-esteem isn't a mental health problem in itself. But mental health and self-esteem can be closely linked. Some of the signs of low self-esteem can be signs of a mental health problem.
As you advance in years, you may tend to lose confidence as you experience changes in your body and face health issues. Losing your self-confidence can also result from life-altering events such as retirement and loss of people you love. Losing confidence in your abilities can make you less active and more withdrawn.
The best way to regain confidence is to remind yourself of your capabilities, address the obstacles that keep you from feeling confident, and work around those obstacles. "Don't feel badly if you can't do everything you once did, or at the same level or intensity," says Silverstone.
Focus on your strengths and celebrate your successes. Always compare your progress to your past self, not others. Practice positive self-talk and hang out with people who support you. Take really good care of yourself by eating well, exercising, and getting proper sleep.
Feeling confident in yourself might depend on the situation. For instance, you can feel very confident in some areas, such as academics, but lack confidence in others, like relationships. Having high or low self-confidence is rarely related to your actual abilities, and mostly based on your perceptions.
Challenging and reversing irrational beliefs about yourself takes time, effort, discipline, and practice. The process of building self-esteem can take years for some people. That's completely normal. So don't be disheartened if you struggle in this process and fall back into negative ways of thinking along the way.
The studies we reviewed suggest that young people with clinically significant anxiety or depression, and particularly those with co-morbid anxiety and depression are also likely to have low self-esteem.
Whilst low self-esteem does not make up a condition alone, in combination with other symptoms it can point to conditions including (but not limited to) anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and personality disorders.
Studies have shown that self-esteem reaches a peak in one's 50s or 60s, and then sharply drops in old age (4–7). This is a characteristic change, so it is important to reveal about when self-esteem peaks across the life span.
Some people are naturally hard on themselves. They might have low self-esteem or grow up in an environment where criticism came often, and praise was rarely heard. Other times there are psychological issues that lead to a person being hard on themselves or a disorder that makes them have a lack of confidence.
