Improving your mental health and success with a healthy self-esteem

Oct 26, 2025 Features / Columnists, News

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By Dr. Telford Layne Jr. PsyD, MSc. Postgrad, BSc.
Clinical and Developmental Psychologist – Psychoanalyst
Unwrapping Gift -Clinic

(Kaieteur News) – Accepting defeat is about hopelessness and helplessness. Refusing to give up and accept defeat is about healthy self-esteem, self-confidence and self-value. Healthy self-esteem breathes resilience.

Healthy self-esteem boost self-confidence and good self confidence boost self-value. And yes, being successful and having good mental health is dependent on healthy self-esteem, as it influences your outlook, motivation, and ability to cope with challenges.

Healthy self-esteem is a protective factor against mental health issues like depression and anxiety, and it fosters resilience and a more positive approach to life and work. Self-esteem significantly impacts both mental health and success. Healthy self-esteem is linked to better mental health, resilience, and the ability to achieve goals, while low self-esteem is associated with mental health challenges like depression and anxiety.

In simple words healthy self esteem is having a good opinion of yourself helps you to not get discouraged by small failures, keeping you on the path to success and gives you the strength to deal with bigger challenges and recovery.

The “birth” of self-esteem is tied to successfully navigating the second psychosocial stage, Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (18 months to three years).

Toddlers are learning new skills, like walking, talking, and toilet training, and assert their will to be independent. When children are supported in developing these skills, they gain a sense of autonomy and build self-esteem, feeling capable and in control. If children are overly controlled or criticized, they may feel ashamed of their independence and develop self-doubt and low self-esteem.

By the age of 5 if we have not successful growing our self-esteem, we tend to struggle through the other developmental stages as we seen to develop psychologically in to adults with unwavering.

Healthy self-esteem is need in Initiative vs. Guilt developmental stages (Preschool) is when children develop a sense of purpose by exploring and doing things independently. (School-age, 5 to 12 years) is when we develop pride in our work and accomplishments through social and academic endeavors.

Then in adolescence is when adolescents explore their independence and develop their own sense of self by questioning “Who am I?” Successfully achieving this with encouragement and support during this exploration lead to a strong sense of identity, and the adolescent develops their own beliefs and values. This strengthens their self-esteem for adulthood.

Prevents negative outcomes: Healthy self-esteem can help prevent mental health challenges and makes it easier to manage stress.

Promotes resilience: It helps you face challenges, cope with setbacks, and maintain a more positive outlook on life.

Links to specific conditions: Low self-esteem is specifically linked to a higher risk of depression and anxiety.

Influences relationships: It affects your ability to build and maintain healthy relationships and express your needs.

Increases motivation: A strong sense of self-worth can provide the motivation to take on new challenges.

Boosts performance: High self-esteem is associated with better performance at school and work.

Encourages goal-setting: It can lead to setting and pursuing personal and professional goals more effectively.

Facilitates problem-solving: It helps you feel confident to face and learn from mistakes, rather than viewing them as a threat to your self-worth.

Self-esteem and Success

Motivation and risk-taking: Healthy self-esteem provides the confidence to pursue goals and take on new challenges. It helps individuals learn from setbacks and persist through obstacles.

Career advancement: People with healthy self-esteem are more likely to seek promotions, take on greater responsibilities, and perform with higher quality and productivity. In contrast, low self-esteem can lead to self-sabotage and the avoidance of opportunities due to fear of failure.

Communication: Self-confidence enhances communication skills, allowing individuals to articulate their thoughts and assert their needs effectively in both professional and personal settings.

Resilience: A strong sense of self-worth builds resilience, which is the ability to cope with stressful situations and bounce back from failure or criticism.

Self-esteem and mental health; individuals with health self-esteem experience the following

Emotional regulation: Healthy self-esteem promotes emotional balance and happiness while acting as a buffer against stress.

Protects against psychiatric problems; low self-esteem is a significant risk factor for mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. A positive self-concept can protect against their development.

Healthy relationships: When you value yourself, you are better equipped to set boundaries and build relationships based on mutual respect. Low self-esteem can lead to unhealthy relationship dynamics, loneliness, and social withdrawal.

In Part 2 we will deal with how to build self-esteem.

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• healthy self-esteem, improving, mental health, Telford Layne Jr

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