Self Esteem

Therapist and Counsellor at Anglia Counselling, Penni Osborn, shares with us here her imaginative and her inspirational perspective of self-esteem, and how we should all get growing more!

When I think of healthy self-esteem I imagine it as a flourishing garden, filled with beautiful flowers, shrubs and trees. Pastels and vibrant hues nestling side by side in a wonderfully natural space, each existing exactly where it should be – confident and comfortable to be where they are – each individual plant or tree has earned its rightful place in amongst all the other plants and trees. And when some begin to fade (as some plants do with time), new seeds arrive creating an ever-changing environment; alive, thriving and continually renewing and growing. [Read more…]

A trait most commonly observed in the therapy room is low self-esteem. As a professional ‘observer’, I also see this in the wider world too. Celebrities, wealthy individuals and those who to the untrained eye, “have it all” are actually often seen to be in great distress. I have never been a celebrity or had the burden of wealth, but I too was one who others shared their thoughts – “I wish I could be in his shoes!”

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Labels, labels, labels… If we must describe what I may be, then I am quite possibly something of each of the three labels within the title. [Read more…]

Job loss? Is just that – a job loss! Yet, if we are faced with this event, we take it personally, feeling wounded – perhaps humiliated and then anxious. The fear of financial problems along with the major challenges for our psyche of confronting change. [Read more…]

Jealous? Jealousy is one of the most insidious of emotions. I’m sure no one has ever enjoyed feeling this way – or being on the receiving end! So where does it come from, why do we feel it, and what can we do about it? [Read more…]

What do you expect out of others, yourself, and life? Many personal frustrations demonstrated by clients are with people not meeting ‘their’ expectations. This may be unrecognised initially but when the question is considered, it can provide for that eureka moment.

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Fathers – new ones, experienced ones, those who live with their children, those who are estranged, those whose children have left the nest… and those who are no longer ‘in touch’, for whatever reason. The following are, I’m sure you know, recognisable statements commonly said, thought or heard: [Read more…]

Under the influence of… positive or negative? Clearly our life and the experiences we realise are a mixture, and hopefully a balance of the two influences. Just as with happiness and sadness, without both in our lives we could not recognise one from another. [Read more…]

Have you ever decided to make some big change in your life? Was there something you were not happy with, so you decided to “turn over a new leaf”? Did you spend a huge amount of your time and energy into trying to change that which you didn’t like? [Read more…]

Do you, or have you given up on that which you seek and desire at the first hurdle you encounter?

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