I put these three things in one category because in my opinion, they are intimately connected. When we live authentically, we have a deep understanding of who we are, what we need, and what we truly value. It means living a life that aligns with those values. We are able to tune out the messages and expectations from society, media, peers, our parents, etc. to get to the heart of who we genuinely want to be.
Healthy self-esteem is vital for good mental health and relationships. It requires the ability to realistically assess our strengths and weaknesses through a lens of context and empathy, and being genuinely okay with what we conclude. It doesn’t mean that we have to positively embrace every single thing about ourselves. It’s about believing that at our core we are a decent human being who has value, while appreciating that we are also imperfect and will sometimes screw things up, just like everybody else.
When we live authentically and have healthy self-esteem, our decision-making capacity tends to improve naturally because we fully understand what is important to us and why, and have the ability to make decisions that align with those needs.
Counseling can help you to more deeply explore, understand, and improve upon these core issues.