What Exactly Is Self-Worth?

Self-worth is the internal sense of being good enough and worthy of love and belonging from others. Self-worth is often confused with self-esteem, which relies on external factors such as successes and achievements to define worth and can often be inconsistent, leading to someone needing help with feeling worthy.

Self-worth can be influenced by various factors, such as past experiences, personal relationships, cultural and societal messages, and self-talk. It can also be affected by self-esteem, self-compassion, and self-confidence.

A positive sense of self-worth can lead to self-acceptance, self-respect, and self-confidence. It can also help individuals to make healthy choices, set boundaries and have better relationships. On the other hand, low self-worth can lead to negative feelings such as self-doubt, insecurity, and self-criticism. It can also lead to unhealthy behaviours such as self-sabotage or systematically seeking validation from others.

It’s important to note that self-worth is not frozen in time; it can evolve depending on various factors such as life experiences, personal development and self-reflection. It’s also important to note that self-worth is not the same as self-esteem, which refers to an overall evaluation of oneself, while self-worth refers to an individual’s sense of value.

Transition coaching can help you improve self-worth by helping you identify and challenge negative thoughts, set realistic and achievable goals, practise self-compassion and self-care, seek support when necessary and work on building healthy relationships with the people sharing your life and your world.