Symptoms of Low Self-Esteem in the Office

What Are The Symptoms of Low Self-Esteem?

Inevitably, we will work with some people who suffer from low self-esteem. Or we may suspect that we may suffer from low self-esteem ourselves. Do you know the symptoms of low self-esteem to spot them?

1. Insecure And Lack Of Belief In Oneself
People who suffer from low self-esteem often feel insecure about themselves. This is one symptom of low self-esteem that is easy to spot in the office. They create unreasonable expectations of the people they work with. They like to throw little ‘tests and cues’ expecting you to provide what they need. When you do not, they label you as you being “uncooperative” or not “working as a team”.

2. Do Not Trust Others
One of the many symptoms of low self-esteem is the inability to trust others. They tend to feel that others are out to get them and plotting against them. They wait to react to what they feel others expect them to say and do.

3. Ever Watchful Eye On Others
They do this in order to determine how they will talk and act in front of others. One of the other symptoms that you can look out for is that they are always cautious about what others say and expect of them. However, as situation in the office always changes, they do not know how to react to the situation. Often they appear confused and this adds to their fear and anxiety.

4. Finds It Extremely Difficult To Make Decisions
This is because they are always watchful and looking for cues as to how they feel others want them to speak and act. When you see a colleague who has an inability in making decisions, you could be looking at one of the symptoms of low self-esteem. They fear making a mistake and disappointing others who they feel are watching them.

6. Surprise! They Are Overachievers And Underachievers
This is the biggest surprise to me when I read about it. One of the signs of low self-esteem is that people who suffer from low self-esteem can be overachievers. The theory is that they are motivated by their anger and the need to prove their adequacy drives them to over achieve. The underachievers remain that way as they lack the self-confidence to break out of their mold to do more, to disregard what others feel and expect of them. They tend to stay put accepting what life dishes out to them.

7. Perfectionism - Good Is Never Good Enough
People who are perfectionist may be showing one of the signs of low self-esteem. They feel that good is never good enough for them. And they do not know how to acknowledge their own accomplishments. At work this often leads to workaholic behaviors. The reason is that they feel most adequate in the office; they also know clear expectations from themselves as compared to the social world.

There is help for people who suffer from low self-esteem. There are many books written on the topic. If you feel you or your colleagues show symptoms of low self-esteem, you may want to check out this FREE TEST provided by Dr. Marilyn J. Sorensen of The Self Esteem Institute.