Increase your self-esteem by understanding the price you pay for unhealthy shame (1 minute read)

Here, the post “Increase your self-esteem by understanding the price you pay for unhealthy shame” continues with how you can increase your self-esteem by understanding your feelings.

Increase your self-esteem by understanding the price you pay for unhealthy shame:

This post summarizes disproportionate and painful shame by using Compassion Focused Therapy developed by the British psychologist Paul Gilbert.

This therapy emphasizes the importance of using compassion for oneself, close ones and strangers. It relieves intrusive feelings of shame and self-criticism with the aim to live a healthy and happy life.

Often the cause of destructive shame is traumatic childhood events, which in turn create fears of being devalued and excluded.

This can lead to activation of self-degrading behaviors and avoiding being close to others, which also often create other unintended consequences such as lower self-esteem, loneliness and too much focus on the wellbeing of others. All of this cause more suffering.

This can in turn create self-attacks against perceived inability to cope with the involuntary consequences:

I am worthless since I do not have …

I cannot …

Nobody likes me…

I’m not worthy of love…

Nobody wants to even have me as a friend…

More about shame and what to do about it in upcoming posts.

See also the free blog or the course How to develop self-esteem and boost your confidence at https://jennyrappbefree.com