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Please help

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Jo1

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Is there anything that can help improve self-esteem?
Sometimes I think I must hate myself because the way I act at times.:( and the struggles ive had in myself. Im currently having counselling at the moment and want some help in this area. As my self-esteem has been 0 this year. :(
I know its all to do with how you see yourself in Jesus, but I just havent got there yet. Any advice would be great. Thanks.
 

unkern

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It doesnt matter what you see yourself as or what other people see you as, its about what God see's you as. When God created you in "his image" he didnt make any mistakes. He knew exactly what he was doing, your purpose goes way beyond what you might think. Going to counseling usually just points out whats wrong, it usually never solves it. One of the best ways to build self-esteem and self-worth is to go and help someone in worse shoes than you, and see how worthy they are of God. God doesnt make ugly.
 
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aflower4God

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Is there anything that can help improve self-esteem?
Sometimes I think I must hate myself because the way I act at times.:( and the struggles ive had in myself. Im currently having counselling at the moment and want some help in this area. As my self-esteem has been 0 this year. :(
I know its all to do with how you see yourself in Jesus, but I just havent got there yet. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

HI there my dear friend,

It has been a long time since I have posted to ya, so sorry about that. I am in the process of moving!!!

Anyway, I totally know what you are going through. I have very low self esteem. Yep that is what I was told, see myself as Jesus sees me. I am improving on that in the looks areana but I am not doing so well in my "personality areana" because I just got bullied big time on a celeb web site. WORDS DO HURT!

Listen sister I am gonna pray for you and keep you in my prayers. You are a blessing. I think if the world had much more people like you, the world would be a fabulous place to live!!!:hug::hug::hug::hug:
 
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aflower4God

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It doesnt matter what you see yourself as or what other people see you as, its about what God see's you as. When God created you in "his image" he didnt make any mistakes. He knew exactly what he was doing, your purpose goes way beyond what you might think. Going to counseling usually just points out whats wrong, it usually never solves it. One of the best ways to build self-esteem and self-worth is to go and help someone in worse shoes than you, and see how worthy they are of God. God doesnt make ugly.

I think you should know that your post has helped me as well. Thank you for posting this and I hope that it helps our dear sister Jo1
 
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Jo1

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HI there my dear friend,

It has been a long time since I have posted to ya, so sorry about that. I am in the process of moving!!!

Anyway, I totally know what you are going through. I have very low self esteem. Yep that is what I was told, see myself as Jesus sees me. I am improving on that in the looks areana but I am not doing so well in my "personality areana" because I just got bullied big time on a celeb web site. WORDS DO HURT!

Listen sister I am gonna pray for you and keep you in my prayers. You are a blessing. I think if the world had much more people like you, the world would be a fabulous place to live!!!:hug::hug::hug::hug:
aww thanks so much sweet sister:hug::hug::hug:im getting there, but its all just realising that jesus has done it all and we dont have to do anything to deserve his love. Praying for you too. Im so sorry youve got bullied:(
love you! :hug::hug:
 
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Do something nurturing for yourself, that makes you truly happy just to have done it. Put on some makeup, put up your hair, or dress yourself up to look ravishing just to go to the mall, take yourself out for a fabulous lunch if you can afford it, or buy yourself something decadent if you can REALLY afford it.

Start to make changes in yourself that make you feel better about yourself. Start eating better, start an exercise routine, get proper sleep.

This is direct advice from my counselor today in fact. I'm taking a much larger step of changing jobs (that was already in the back of my mind to do ANYway), but I don't want to advise to do something that drastic if you're not ready or if it will harm more than it will help.
 
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Ariel

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Jo :hug: This is a big one--one that the Lord has helped me with tremendously.

Part of His help came when I got into the Word and began realizing what He says about me. Let me see if I can find that in my old posts--ah, here it is--taken from Words of Comfort, Encouragement and Edification

Ariel said:
Good morning, beloved in the Lord!

Remember this day that you are loved.
God loved you even before you were saved, Romans 5:8.
You are a beloved daughter or son of the Most High King, 1 John 3:1.
You are His little lamb, John 10:16. He speaks to you, John 10:27. He calls you by name, John 10:3.
You are His jewel, Malachi 3:17.
You are His pearl of great price, Matthew 13:45-46.
He died so that He might give you eternal life, John 3:16.
He did not come to condemn you, but to save you, John 3:17.
If anyone condemns you, that is not His doing, Romans 8:1.
He promises to instruct you and teach you, Psalm 32:8.
He promises to protect you, Psalm 32:7.
He will give you friends who also fear the Lord and love God, Psalm 119:74.
He is with you, Matthew 28:20.
His Holy Spirit is within you, Romans 8:9.
When you call on His name, He will come and save you, Romans 10:13.
No weapon formed against you shall prosper, Isaiah 54:17.
He will never leave you or forsake you, Hebrews 13:5.

Another thing the Lord did for me is to help me get rid of my negative words and negative thinking. Here is another quote from one of my threads:

Ariel said:
Testimony_______________________________________

It was one of those dreary Saturday mornings when the sun just wouldn't come out. I had been up early, and I was feeling depressed. I'd say one thing to my husband, and then another. Sometimes he'd respond. He was trying to read the paper, and I was trying to put the kitchen back together after the night before. There was nothing remarkable about that morning, except that the Lord spoke to me.

He spoke into my heart in that still small voice. He asked me to start labeling everything I said that morning as either positive or negative. Just that. I wondered, but decided to obey. So for the next two hours I started listening to myself. Negative, negative, negative. Everything I said was negative. It was then I noticed that every time I made a negative statement or observation, my dear spouse's shoulders would slump down a bit further. He was listening, and it was affecting him, too.

I began repenting. I asked the Lord to forgive me for being so negative. I decided to start throwing in some positive statements. I realized that this was something I would have to work on.

As I prayed for further understanding, the Lord showed me something that I still think about today. When I spoke so negatively, I was releasing a negative confession spiritually. A dark atmosphere came over my home, something you couldn't see naturally, but that was definitely there spiritually. It looked like dark clouds, darker than anything outside. The Lord took me to the book of Proverbs and asked me to keep track of scripture about speech. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit, Proverbs 18:21 said. There were many others. I began pondering how the tongue could bless or curse, and thought about the scripture in Proverbs 14:1 where it says, The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands." Would I build my house, using positive speech, blessing my husband and children? Or would I pull them down with my negative words?

It was a battle, my old self didn't want to obey. But for the next six months I kept track of my speech, asking myself the question, was that positive or negative? Then the Lord spoke to me again and gave me a further challenge that I'm still trying to master today. He asked me to start labeling my thoughts. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, Jesus told us in Matthew 12:34. I needed to catch those thoughts before they came out of my mouth. And I needed to be more vigilant about what kind of stuff was going into my heart. This is still a challenge!

But I learned, and am still learning. As Christians, we have tremendous power with our words. A parent can break a child or build them up, just by words. A mother can color her family's whole day, just by her attitude and words. She is the heart of the home. She can make a difference to everyone.



There is some self-discipline involved. For example, I felt that the Lord wanted me to stop testifying against myself. All through my childhood and teen years I had heard negative things about myself. When I became an adult I moved away--but I still said and thought the same negative things about myself. It has taken me a long time to break this terrible habit--even now I have to work on it--but I can see now how not saying awful stuff about myself has really helped me.

Remember, dear Jo, you are loved. Your Father in heaven calls you His precious daughter, His jewel. I think it helps a lot to take what the Bible says, make up 3x5 cards and post them all over the house.

Here is something that really helped me also:

"I am my Father's beloved daughter, in whom He is well pleased," based on Matthew 3:17--the words the Father spoke to Jesus when He was baptized and coming up out of the water. When God looks at us He sees His Son. We are precious to Him, His beloved sons and daughters in whom He is well pleased.

Jo, dear one, you are God's beloved daughter in whom He is well pleased. :hug: :hug: :hug:
 
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FaithfulWife

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Jo, I sort of affirm what Ariel has said above. I have no idea what term you have for it, but inside my head I say stuff to myself sort of over and over and over. I call that "The Tape." I think "The Tape" was made in my head by my abusers, who told me I was short, fat, ugly, worthless, lazy, stupid, and would never amount to anything. In an effort to not feel hurt from their words and physical abuse, I learned how to survive by turning off ALL feelings...but their words made "The Tape" in my head. Thereafter, if I tried to interview for a job, I heard I was no good and would never amount to anything inside my head. I would try to make curtains or crochet something to make my house more pretty and in my head I'd hear, "Those crafts are a waste of time and look stupid anyway. Who'd want homemade stuff?" I'm sure you get the drift. That was NO my voice I heard in my head, and I did not have a strong enough voice to even hear mine!

So one thing I did that really helped is for a few day I carried a little notebook with me, and I wrote down every single thought I had that I thought "Hey, that's 'The Tape'!!" Then at night I looked over them and wrote something beside each one that was THE TRUTH. Because guess what, Jo? I am short--but that doesn't mean a bad thing. That means I cute and small and I can fit in a chair curled up! And I am fat--but that's not a bad thing either. I'm very, VERY soft to hug and G-d specifically made me to be a soft, mommy huggy person. Kids, neighborhood kids, school kids, babies and grown up all LOVE me because I'm not rail thin and when I give a hug is soft and cuddly! And on the outside I am ugly (or well at least let's say I'm not a Hollywood raving beauty type) but that's not a bad thing either. I have some beautiful parts that G-d has given me to work with (eyes and hair and ... um.... bustline) but my beauty does not come from makeup and exterior. My beauty is part of my BEING that is so gorgeous that it reflects on my exterior!

You get the drift right? ;)

So next to each voice from "The Tape" I wrote the truth and then I said it OUT LOUD. See for years my ears had heard the negative, demoralizing things--and they needed to hear the positive, wonderful, beautiful things about me. So I said the true things OUT LOUD. I am small and cute. I am not a wisp that will blow away in the wind. I am a fully-figured and curvy and beautiful because of it. I am created from birth to be a hugger! I am so beautiful inside that it shines in my eyes. My beauty is in my smile. I have loving arms and helping hands. I have a heart that is AMAZINGLY gorgeous. I am peaceful and gentle. I am tenderhearted and cry over everything. I am smart and capable. I am a very fast learner. I have ALREADY amounted to something--I am a mother and a wife!

So not only did I start to say those things out loud to myself at bedtime, I got a thing of post-it notes, wrote them down, and put them all over the house, so I'd see them (sort of hidden but not) and I smile and think, "Hey, I do have a beautiful smile don't I?" AND in the bathroom I actually wrote on the mirror!

Jo, you may not need to go to those lengths but that's what I did because I'm somewhat silly and I needed the help. ;)

:thumbsup: I hope that helps ya sweety!
 
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IowaPastor

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You've gotten a lot of good advice. I'd like to add a recommendation for a book...hopefully I didn't miss it in another post...

Try reading Victory Over the Darkeness by Neil T. Anderson. He has some other books out too that might be helpful but I'd start with this one. As Christians we can get help knowing who we are in Christ.

Also remember that God loves you and so do I. May you realize just how special you are! You are unique and special simply because you are you!

Now, hopefully, I haven't sounded too much like Mister Rogers! :)

Blessings to you...:hug: :hug:
 
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