Self-Esteem » Self Image ( what is self image , how it affect you, and how to improve it).
Self image - What is it?
by Carla Valencia
Self image is how you see yourself. It influences your esteem and is acquired during childhood. It includes personality, abilities , strengths , weakness, and physical appearance. It is developed in your childhood. Is:
- How you see yourself .
- How you believe other people see you.
- An internal feeling that influences how you see yourself.
- Learned beliefs about how you see your physical appearance, personality and abilities.
As a child, you were vulnerable to false negative judgments from authority figures and you may well have internalized them as beliefs. I have designed the following diagram to understand the process of how it influences your esteem and confidence. At the top of the diagram I am showing 3 important issues:
- Your parents, teachers, and authority figures judged you in some way. For example: “You look like your father”. “You are too short”, "Too fat", "too slow", etc. As a child, you believed all these judgments. You didn't even question them. At that time, you couldn't contradict authority. Children are vulnerable to accepting false negative judgments from authority figures even if they are harmful to self-esteem.
- You then internalized the judgments and they turned into a part of how you see yourself. "I am too short" became something like: “If I am too short I can't play baseball”. This created a stream of negative self-talk that influences how you see yourself and hurts your esteem. It is natural; you believed what they said was true, for as a child who were you to argue with them?
- But, what is the truth about all these conclusions?. The truth is that being short is not an obstacle. Following the example given above: "If I am too short I cannot play baseball" (judgment you received) became an internalized belief. The only reference point you had was others' opinions. All these criticisms created an internal confusion in you about how you see yourself, and today it is a poor image that undermines your self esteem and confidence. It is important, then, to start to become more aware of these beliefs about you.
How it affects your self-esteem - Diagram
How to improve self image. Make positive changes to create success, good relationships and happiness.
If when you grow up you receive negative judgments and criticism , your inner talk becomes negative. You end up having a poor image that creates low self esteem . And it can be the cause of eating disorders, depression, addictions, domestic violence and more.
On the other hand, if you were capable of clarifying all the negative critics and judgment your received, you can create a positive image of you and therefore a good self esteem. How?. By accepting who you are . Letting go of your past through forgiveness of yourself and others. And building self esteem and confidence.
Check Build your esteem . This program helps you to learn, grow and make positive changes in your life . Make positive changes to create success, good relationships and happiness.
Motivational Affirmations 
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"The most influential person who will talk to you all day is you, so you should be very careful about what you say to you!" -- Zig Ziglar.
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