Do You Suffer from Self-Worth Resistance?

You might have heard of insulin resistance. This is when your cells won’t allow the pancreatic hormone insulin into the cell to metabolize your sugar intake into energy. When you are insulin resistant, you store your sugar as fat rather than using it properly for energy.

I have come to realize many people have self-worth resistance. I am going to define this as your mind not allowing positive thoughts or compliments in to be metabolized as self-esteem.

Many of the women and some of the men I have worked with over the years have this deeply entrenched issue of self-worth resistance. Are you one of them? How can you tell? Do this simple test:

Think back to the last time you received a compliment. What was your internal reaction? Did you absorb it and allow it to metabolize as added self-esteem? If not, then read on. If you did, congrats! Keep up the good work!

First, what is self-esteem? Self-esteem is the way in which we perceive ourselves. Self-worth is an inherent knowing that we are worthy and deserving of love no matter what; just by the grace of life.

Self-worth is the immune system of our consciousness. Self-worth protects us from dangerous thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors just as our immune system protects us from germs and illness.

Our immune system doesn’t guarantee that we will never become ill; healthy self-esteem doesn’t guarantee that we will never become anxious or depressed. However, it does help us to be less sensitive, better able to cope with life stress, and able to problem solve faster.

Here are some signs and symptoms of low self-worth:

1) Self-fulfilling prophecies.

2) Self-sabotage.

3) Nothing Is enough.

When we have high self-worth, we are more inclined to persevere despite adversities; with low self-esteem we tend to give up on our goals after few tries. If we persist, we will have more chances to succeed, while if we surrender, we will surely fail. In both cases the vision of ourselves, positive or negative, will be reinforced.

HOW TO BUILD SELF-ESTEEM – THE SIX PILLARS OF SELF-ESTEEM (from Nathaniel Branden)

1. The Practice of Living Consciously

“We cannot feel competent and worthy while conducting our lives in a mental fog. Our mind is our basic tool of survival. Betray it and self-esteem suffers.”

2. The Practice of Self-Acceptance

“Self-acceptance is the willingness to say of any emotion or behavior, “This is an expression of me, not necessarily an expression I like or admire, but an expression of me nonetheless, at least at the time it occurred. It is the virtue of realism, that is, of respect for reality, applied to the self.”

3. The Practice of Self-Responsibility

“I am responsible for the achievement of my desires. No one owes me the fulfillment of my wishes. I do not hold a mortgage on anyone else’s life or energy. If I have desires, it is up to me to discover how to satisfy them. I need to take responsibility for developing and implementing an action plan.”

4. The Practice of Self-Assertiveness

“Self-assertiveness means the willingness to stand up for myself, to be who I am openly, to treat myself with respect in all human encounters.”

5. The Practice of Living purposefully

“To live purposefully is to use our powers for the attainment of goals we have selected: the goal of studying, of raising a family, of earning a living, of starting a new business, of bringing a new product into the marketplace, of solving a scientific problem, of building a vacation home, of sustaining a happy romantic relationship. It is our goals that lead us forward, that call on the exercise of our faculties, that energize our existence.”

6. The Practice of Personal Integrity

“At the simplest level, personal integrity entails such questions as: Am I honest, reliable, and trustworthy? Do I keep my promises? Do I do the things I say I admire, and do I avoid the things I say I deplore? Am I fair and just in my dealings with others?”

Summary

Taking the time to build your self-worth is as important, if not more important, than eating the right kind of diet for your body and genetic type.

Your sense of self must come from within you, not from what others judge you as. You alone can fill up the hole inside that comes from self-worth resistance. There is no one on the planet who can do that for you. But here’s a start…

You are beautiful, you are smart, you are funny, you are amazing, you are alive, you are spicy, you are generous, you are compassionate, you are wise, you are incredible, you are vital, you are healthy, you are free, you are love.

Repeat often and be fabulous!

Dr. Keesha