Posts

Physical Well-Being and Body Image

/2 Comments/in /by

self esteem exercise picSelf Esteem – Physical  health and a sense of personal wellness, vitality, and robustness comprise one of the most important foundations of self esteem.  It’s often difficult to feel good about yourself when you’re feeling physically weak, tired, or ill. Current evidence points to the role of physiological imbalances – often caused by stress in the genesis of panic attacks, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Upgrading your physical well-being will have a direct impact on your particular problem with anxiety as well as contribute substantially to self esteem.

The questionnaire below is intended to give you an overview of how you are doing in the area of personal wellness and how this might relate to low self esteem issues.

Am I exercising for at least one half hour three to five times per week?

Do I enjoy the exercise I do?

Do I give myself the opportunity to deeply relax each day through progressive muscle relaxation, visualization, meditation, or some other relaxation method?

Do I give myself at least one hour of “downtime” or leisure time each day?

Do I manage my time so that I am not perpetually rushed?

Do I handle stress or do I feel that it has control of me?

Do I give myself solitary time for personal reflection?

Do I get at least seven hours of sleep every night?

Am I satisfied with the quality and quantity of my sleep?

Am I eating three solid meals each day, including a good size breakfast?

Do I like my living environment? Is the place where I live comfortable and relaxing?

Does smoking tobacco interfere with my physical well-being?

Am I comfortable  with my present weight? If not, what can I do about it?

Do I like my body and the way I appear?

The Basic Needs

/1 Comment/in /by

relax21Self esteem : Basic human needs conjures an association with shelter, clothing, food, water, sleep, oxygen, and so on – in other words, what human beings require for their physical survival. It was not until the last few decades that higher-order psychological needs were identified. While not necessary for survival, meeting these needs is essential to your emotional well being and a satisfying adjustment to life. The psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed five levels of human needs, with three levels beyond primary concerns for survival and security. He arranged these levels into a hierarchy as follows:

1. Self actualization needs (fulfillment of your potential in life)
2. Esteem needs (self respect, mastery, a sense of accomplishment)
3. Belongingness and love needs (support and affection from others, intimacy, a sense of belonging)
4. Safety needs (shelter, stable environment)
5. Physiological needs (food, water, sleep, oxygen)

In Maslow’s scheme, taking care of higher level needs is dependent on having satisfied lower level needs. Its difficult to satisfy belongingness and self esteem needs if you’re starving. On a subtler level, its difficult to fulfill your full potential if you’re feeling isolated and alienated for lack of having met needs for love and belongingness. Writing in the sixties, Maslow estimated that the average American satisfied perhaps 90% of physiological needs, 70% of safety needs 50% of love needs, 40% of esteem needs and 10% of the needs for self actualization.

Although Maslow defined self esteem narrowly in terms of a sense of accomplishment and mastery, I believe that self esteem is dependent on recognizing and taking care of all of your needs.