Do you often feel like you are no good at all?
Do you think that others can always perform better than you?
Do you always tend to please others no matter what is the cost of it from your side?
Lack of confidence and self-esteem often leads to missed opportunities, shyness and inaction, and not standing up for oneself. And all this leads to less self-perceived value and even lover confidence and self-esteem. With very low confidence comes the inability to stand up to defend own opinions and actions which further leads to self-loathing and even anxiety and depression.
So, be the best version of yourself and show the world who you are. Try hypnotherapy now and CHANGE YOUR LIFE forever…
What to know about confidence?
Training the brain to boost self-confidence, eating well, exercising, and being socially active are some factors that can help raise self-esteem. For some people, however, the road to confidence is much more challenging.
Self-confidence is generally defined as the belief in one’s own abilities. As the University of Queensland in Australia put it, self-confidence describes “an internal state made up of what we think and feel about ourselves.”
Low self-confidence can lead to shyness, social anxiety, a lack of assertiveness, and communication problems. These can have negative implications for many aspects of life, including relationships and career progression.
Studies have shown that low self-confidence can also increase the risk of mental health problems, such as depression and bipolar disorder.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to boosting self-confidence. Some people find making personal changes – such as adopting a healthy diet or joining a social club – can improve self-confidence, while others may benefit from mindfulness or counseling.
In the new study, Dr. Cort and colleagues suggest that hypnotherapy has the right approach to treating low self-confidence.
What is Self-Confidence?
This is likely the most used term for these related concepts outside of psychological research, but there is still some confusion about what exactly self-confidence is. One of the most cited sources about self-confidence refers to it as simply believing in oneself. Another popular article defines self-confidence as an individual’s expectations of performance and self-evaluations of abilities and prior performance.
Finally, Psychology Dictionary Online defines self-confidence as an individual’s trust in his or her own abilities, capacities, and judgments, or belief that he or she can successfully face day-to-day challenges and demands (Psychology Dictionary Online).
Self-confidence also brings about more happiness. Typically, when you are confident in your abilities you are happier due to your successes. When you are feeling better about your capabilities, the more energized and motivated you are to take action and achieve your goals.
Self-confidence, then, is similar to self-efficacy in that it tends to focus on the individual’s future performance; however, it seems to be based on prior performance, and so in a sense, it also focuses on the past.
Many psychologists tend to refer to self-efficacy when considering an individual’s beliefs about their abilities concerning a specific task or set of tasks, while self-confidence is more often referred to as a broader and more stable trait concerning an individual’s perceptions of overall capability.
What is Self-Esteem?
The most influential voice in self-esteem research was, arguably, Morris Rosenberg his take on self-esteem and introduced his widely used accepted Self-Esteem Scale.
His definition of self-esteem rested on the assumption that it was a relatively stable belief about one’s overall self-worth. This is a broad definition of self-esteem, defining it as a trait that is influenced by many different factors and is relatively difficult to change.
In contrast, others believe that self-esteem is made up of two distinct components: self-efficacy, or the confidence we have in our ability to cope with life’s challenges, and self-respect, or the belief that we are deserving of happiness, love, and success. The definitions are similar, but it is worth noting that Rosenberg’s definition relies on beliefs about self-worth, a belief that can have wildly different meanings to different people, while Branden is more specific about which beliefs are involved in self-esteem.
What about those who have too much self-esteem?
Narcissism is the result of having too much self-esteem. A psychological definition would be an extreme amount of selfishness, with a grandiose view of one’s own talents and a craving for admiration.
Self-esteem at high and low levels can be damaging so it is important to strike a balance in the middle. A realistic but positive view of the self is often ideal.
Where does self-esteem come from? What influence does it have on our lives? Self-esteem is often seen as a personality trait, which means it tends to be stable and enduring.
There are typically three components that makeup self-esteem:
- Self-esteem is an essential human need that is vital for survival and normal, healthy development
- Self-esteem arises automatically from within based on a person’s beliefs and consciousness
- Self-esteem occurs in conjunction with a person’s thoughts, behaviors, feelings, and actions.
Self-esteem is one of the basic human motivations in Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Maslow would suggest that individuals need both esteem from other people as well as inner self-respect. These needs must be fulfilled in order for an individual to grow and thrive.
These needs must be fulfilled in order for an individual to grow and achieve self-actualization. Self-confidence and self-esteem are two closely related psychological phenomena, both based on past experiences and both looking forward to future performance.
Going forward, in an effort to keep confusion to a minimum, we will consider self-confidence and self-esteem to be essentially the same concept.
Causes of Low Self Confidence
Understanding the causes of low self-confidence is a first step in boosting it.
The most important thing to know about low self-confidence is that it is not your fault.
The factors that contribute to low self-confidence combine and interact differently for each person. Your genes, cultural background, childhood experiences, and other life circumstances all play a role. But don’t lose heart — although we can’t change the experiences in our past that shaped us, there is plenty we can do to alter our thoughts and expectations to gain more confidence.
Genes and Temperament. Some of what molds our self-confidence is built into our brains at birth. I mention these factors not to overwhelm you, but to let you know that you shouldn’t blame yourself for your self-image.
Studies have shown our genetic makeup affects the amount of certain confidence-boosting chemicals our brain can access. Serotonin, a neurotransmitter associated with happiness, and oxytocin, the “cuddle hormone,” can both be inhibited by certain genetic variations.
Some aspects of our behavior also stem from our temperament. If you’re naturally more hesitant and watchful, especially in unfamiliar circumstances, you may have a tendency called “behavioral inhibition.” When you’re confronted with a situation, you stop and check to see if everything seems the way you expected it to be. If something appears awry, you’re likely to move away from the situation.
Behavioral inhibition is not all bad. We need some people in the world who don’t impulsively jump into every situation. If you’re a cautious and reserved person, self-confidence may have eluded you. But once you understand yourself you’ll be able to work with your temperament and not fight it.
Life Experiences. A number of individual experiences can lead to feeling completely unsure of yourself or even worthless. Here, I’ll discuss a few.
Trauma. Physical, sexual, and emotional abuse can all significantly affect our feelings of self-worth. If you find yourself replaying memories of abuse or otherwise feeling tormented by or ashamed of your experiences, please consider seeking treatment for it.
Parenting style. The way we were treated in our family of origin can affect us long after childhood. For instance, if you had a parent who constantly belittled you, compared you to others, or told you that you would never amount to anything, you likely carry those messages with you today. A parent’s struggles with mental health and substance abuse can also change your relationship with the world.
Bullying, harassment, and humiliation. Childhood bullying can leave a mark on your confidence when it comes to looks, intellectual and athletic abilities, and other areas of your life. Humiliating experiences in adulthood, including workplace harassment or a peer group that disrespects or demeans you, can also make you less willing to speak up for yourself or pursue ambitious goals.
“Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
-Cristopher Robin-
How can hypnotherapy for confidence help you?
Hypnotherapy for confidence helps challenge negative thought processes and limiting beliefs and can eliminate self-doubt allowing you to generate a more positive future, improve self-image and increase determination.
The subconscious mind – our “inner voice” – controls quite a bit about how we feel about ourselves.
Our unconscious thoughts can be ardent supporters, telling us to feel good about the way we look and our abilities. Or the subconscious can be a fierce critic, filling our minds with negative, unhealthy thoughts about ourselves.
The problem is: Overcoming these negative thoughts is a real challenge.
These thoughts are automatic and deeply embedded in our minds. You look in the mirror – and bam! – the subconscious tells you not to like what you see. It happens unconsciously, automatically.
In other words, low self-esteem is often the result of flaws in our subconscious. Our automatic thoughts aren’t rational. They aren’t based in fact – very often becoming embedded in childhood – and they’re overly critical and unhealthy.
But what if these thoughts could be quieted, or better yet, removed altogether? What if we could gain control over our inner voice and re-teach it to be more supportive, positive, and helpful?
That’s the basis of confidence hypnosis.
Utilizing hypnotherapy, we can access these unconscious, automatic thoughts, and through the power of suggestion, we can begin to unseat and reframe them.
Simply put, hypnosis is a very powerful tool for targeting the root cause of low self-esteem. It can help prevent those negative, overly critical thoughts from telling us how to feel about ourselves and empower us to rid ourselves of these negative thinking patterns.
Confidence Hypnosis: How Hypnotherapy Can Help Us Overcome Low Self-Esteem
Repeatedly facing our fears can certainly be a tool for improving self-esteem and self-confidence.
Yet, it’s a challenge. It’s difficult to stay on course and do something over and over even though the mind is yelling at us that’d we’d rather not.
Here’s one way to look at it: Negative self-talk is like an addiction.
We might feel the pain our addiction is causing, we might see the effect it’s having on our relationships, we might literally see that it’s destroying our emotional health or our performance at work, or in social situations, or for whatever our mind is telling us that we can’t do.
But yet, we can’t stop. We can’t seem to shut those thoughts off.
It’s just like the urge the addict “hears” telling them to use again.
Hypnosis is so successful for low self-esteem because its goal is to repair the mind.
Hypnosis helps to re-teach the subconscious to be a supportive partner in our day-to-day lives. We’re taking out those irrational, negative thoughts, and repopulating the subconscious with more helpful information.
How exactly?
You can think of hypnosis as meditation with a goal. For centuries, meditation has been used to help people learn to tame the mind, find inner peace, and quiet automatic thinking.
Yet, hypnosis takes this one step further – hypnosis adds a goal.
Here’s how: During a hypnotherapy session, I will guide your body and mind to a state of heightened relaxation and awareness.
In this state, the way our brains behave changes. Our minds become completely relaxed, and we’re able to access our subconscious. In fact, we can bypass the critical factor of the mind and go straight to that inner voice and speak directly to it.
What’s more, when we’re in a state of hypnosis, our brains become highly receptive to suggestions.
Therefore, when we hear suggestions in this state like, “you are confident in everything you do,” they’re much more likely to stick. We’ve bypassed that critical conscious layer that’s always so quick to qualify and analyze suggestions.
Now, you might be thinking: Is that really all there is to it? And the short answer is: Yes.
Sure, hypnosis for low self-esteem can be highly complex; but we can use numerous techniques for empowering and repairing the subconscious mind.
But whatever the technique, the idea is the same: In a state of hypnosis, we’re able to add newer, more helpful, and more supportive information to the subconscious. And at the same time, we can work to release the negative thinking patterns that are causing our self-esteem issues in the first place.
Do you think you need help with confidence?