What You Need to Know About Self-Esteem and Your Health

by Kim Archer

Is low self-esteem an issue for you or someone you know? You might not realize that self-worth issues don’t just affect you emotionally; they can also cause numerous physical health problems. Take a look at these seven ways that it can cause your well-being to suffer.

1. Anxiety: If you have a poor self-image, you won’t have any self-confidence either. This can trigger an anxiety attack in an unfamiliar or uncomfortable situation.

2. Stress: We all deal with stress in our lives, but for a person with a poor self-image it can be crushing. They won’t be prone to dealing with their stress, which can cause even more tension and worry. Stress is often a precursor of heart disease.

3. Depression: Hopelessness and despair are common to people suffering from low self-esteem. If you feel you have no value, you’ll start to cut yourself off from contact with family and friends. Isolating yourself from those who love you increases your tendency to think negatively of yourself, leading you down the path to depression. In extreme circumstances, some people start to think about suicide.

4. Alcohol Abuse: Others look to the soothing properties of alcohol to hide out from their problems and increase their confidence. Alcohol becomes their best buddy by giving them an effortless sense of self-esteem. Alcohol eliminates your self-consciousness and makes you bold. But booze is very addictive and will cause major damage to your body’s health. Alcohol abuse can lead to liver disease, heart problems, cancer and more.

5. Addictions: Another way people try to prop up a poor self-image is by abusing drugs, either prescribed or illegal. The temporary high takes away their problems and worries for a while. However, the consequences of long term drug addiction are well known, and they’re likely to end up dead if they don’t deal with their issues.

6. Weight Gain: People with low self-esteem often try to fill that empty feeling by overeating. This almost always leads to weight gain, sometimes to the point of obesity. Excessive weight gain is associated with heart disease, diabetes and numerous other ailments.

7. Weight Loss: On the other hand, some people with self-worth troubles become fixated on their appearance. They develop eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia in their pursuit of the ideal figure. But no matter how much they starve their bodies, they are never pleased with the results, and eventually they become dangerously ill.

Low self-esteem can lead to these severe health issues, and worse. That’s why it’s so important for people to get help with this problem, not only to improve their emotional well-being but for their long-term health.

About the Author:

Kim Archer writes about women’s wellness. She is publisher of The Internet Spa, where you’ll find up-to-date information to rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit.

April 17th, 2008

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