How Does A Child With Low Self-esteem Feel?
It is necessary to show that there is a relatively high average of children who have low self-esteem. However, there are individual differences or experiences that make children feel low in self-esteem and need help to develop this aspect.
How does a child with low self-esteem feel?
Children with low self-esteem will tell themselves and others things like:
- I’m not able
- I’m a fool
- Everything goes wrong
- I will never be able to learn
- he/she is better than me
- not worth trying
- Why am I going to try if it won’t work?
- I’m useless
- Nobody likes me
- I’m ugly / fat / dizzy…
In these words, we can see despair, sadness, lack of confidence and even lack of hope. These are very harsh words for a child who still has so much to learn in life. A child who, despite everything, has all the resources available at his fingertips.
Children who lack confidence in themselves and have low self-esteem feel depressed and often lack hope for the future. They believe they won’t make it or they don’t deserve it. These feelings are troubling. It is necessary for both parents and teachers to be aware of the signs that a child with low self-esteem can manifest. Thus, they will be able to offer the necessary help.
Children with low self-esteem may feel that carrying out tasks like going to school is as complicated as climbing a large, steep, rocky mountain with winding paths. But they must learn and realize for themselves that if they are to succeed, they need only take the first step to climb this mountain .
Each step is a battle against the wind and rain that beat against the body and try to push us down. But it is necessary to fight against adversity in order to reach the summit. In some situations, we need to stop to regain strength because we may feel tired, scared, or even irritable.
While some children are able to express their low self-esteem and feelings of sadness, others cannot. Many children feel that their mistakes and failures are due to their own inability. When children believe they will never succeed no matter what they do, they are developing learned indefensibility and will not be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Low self-esteem in children
Low self-esteem in children may be related to the practice of physical punishment or lack of love and affection on the part of their parents. Carl Rogers said that conditional love was one in which people received positive attention from significant others (such as parents) only when they acted in a certain way. This kind of love encourages the child to act in this way in order to get parental affection, increasing low self-esteem . A child needs unconditional love and support from their parents to feel safe and happy.
Children with low self-esteem rely on coping strategies that are counterproductive. As they grow older, they may act negatively, bullying other children, behaving rebellious or inappropriately, exhibiting too aggressive or evasive behavior, etc.
Children with low self-esteem have a peculiar social behavior. They may be withdrawn, have few friends, be shy, or lack social skills to be able to get along properly with other people.
In other cases, they may have a wide circle of friends. But they are more likely to give in to peer pressure and be more vulnerable to intimidation. They avoid trying new things because they are afraid of failure. Furthermore, they give up quickly just because they don’t feel capable of achieving their goals.
