eNEWSLETTER
March 2004
Our Mission Statement:
"Providing a range of innovative professional services, empowering our clients to positively address issues affecting their lives."
Welcome to Clayfield Counselling Services March eNewsletter!
Alternative Therapies at CCS
This month we would like to welcome Psychologist Ros Ferry to our team. As well as general counselling, Ros specialises in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and Hypnotherapy.
Glenda Hodge (0414 822 015 for bookings) is offering the following services from our premises :
Reflexology, Back & Neck massage, Hortsmann Technique, Thought Field Therapy (Thursday, Friday, Saturday).
Within the next few months Clayfield Counselling Services will be able to offer more alternative therapies.
Self Esteem
As we are all aware, we live in challenging times. Society today puts the emphasis on individuals striving to achieve their goals and meet their challenges. To be successful, one must have a healthy dose of self-esteem, but it can sometimes be hard to feel good about ourselves when around us there are unrealistic images of who and what we are expected to be. Therefore, this month we decided to talk about self-esteem, what it is, and how to improve it.
What is self-esteem?
It is an image we have of ourselves, that we are competent, worthy, lovable and entitled to happiness, as well as coping with life's challenges.
What causes Low Self Esteem?
For hundreds of years, people have lived in communities where a sense of co-operation and togetherness reigned. People worked together to achieve goals for individuals in the community and the community in general. However, in modern times, society demands that we be more independent and self-reliant. If we manage to meet the demands society places on us, we feel a sense of achievement that we are a productive and worthwhile human being. However, if we don't, the result can be a lack of self-confidence, causing unhappiness with an unrealistic view of the surrounding environment, leading to low self-esteem and a poor self-image. Therefore, the more negative thoughts we have of ourselves, the lower our self-esteem is likely to be.
What is Healthy Self Esteem?
Our self-esteem starts developing from birth. It is learnt through our responses and interactions with others and the messages, subtle or otherwise, we receive from those around us. If we have a healthy self-esteem, one aspect is that we can look in the mirror and like what we see and be comfortable with oneself.
A healthy self-esteem provides a strong inner direction and builds a sense of self-worth, both of which are key factors to a person achieving their life goals and responsibilities. People with a healthy self-esteem feel good about themselves and enjoy all the facets of their lives. Self-esteem affects our thoughts, actions, and feelings about others and ourselves and contributes to our general success in life. When a person has a healthy self-esteem, they feel more like the person they wish to be. They are able to offer themselves fully to the world and enjoy people more. Healthy self-esteem is not competitive or comparative, but is more a state of a person being at peace with oneself.
What are the resources available for those who have low self-esteem and want to build their confidence?
Many tools are available to improve one's performance such as books, courses or attending seminars, researching on the internet, and self assessment techniques such as journalling.
Other methods include:
- Look for a role model and learn what is it they do that makes them confident?
- Focus on achievements and even if they fail, try to work out, what was positive and how to succeed next time
- Act as if you are confident
- Prepare thoroughly for any task to ensure that you are ready
- Work on improving your skills, you can never be over-trained or over-skilled for any challenge in life.
- Learn relaxation skills
- Always smile
- Set reachable goals for yourself
- Reward yourself when you succeed
Some interesting websites
- http://www.self-esteem-nase.org/
- http://www.eqtoday.com /archive/jpceqa.html
- http://www.womhealth.org.au/stud entfactsheets/bodyimage.htm
- http://health.yahoo.com/health/centers/personality/1264
- http://www.theselfesteeminstitute.com/main.html
- http://www.more-selfesteem.com/confidencebuilding.htm
Need a qualified professional counsellor?
Office hours are from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. After hours and Saturday appointments are available on request.
Until next time then...
"I looked in the mirror and liked what I saw. I looked once again and liked it even more." - Brecht
The editorial team at Clayfield Counselling Services