How To Identify Your Core Beliefs About Your Self-worth
We’re here to talk about all things self-worth, from what it means and how to define it, to how it presents itself, why self-worth looks different for different people, and we’ll explore the reasons behind why we believe the things we believe about ourselves and how those beliefs got there.
What is self-worth?
If you have access to social media and use platforms like Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, etc.; if you watch network TV programs or stream popular shows on Netflix and Hulu; if you flip through lifestyle magazines while waiting at the doctor’s office, chances are you’ve at the very least seen or heard the term “self-worth.”
While the term has gained traction and popularity exponentially over the past couple of decades, “self-worth” is not a new concept. We see it in books and magazines and news articles, and we hear about it in podcasts and radio broadcasts.
Self-worth is represented among all forms of media and the rate that the concept is picking up speed is remarkable. Millennials and “Gen Z”-ers have latched onto the term, fed and nourished it, and contributed to its growing popularity and relevance.
What exactly is self-worth, though? Is it the same thing as self-esteem, self-love, or self-efficacy? While it may be similar in meaning, the term “self-worth” stands on its own.
Self-worth is defined by how you feel about yourself, to be put simply.
Your sense of self-worth is determined by how you feel when you look at yourself in the mirror, how you describe yourself to other people, what labels you’ve placed on yourself, and how you choose to care for yourself.
There is a multitude of other factors that equal the summation of your self-worth as well; the totality of your self-worth is not limited to these factors alone.
Self-worth is a concept that describes how you feel about who you are as a person.
Self-worth doesn’t have to do with what you look like; that’s more related to self-esteem (for example, being obsessed and vain with your appearance may lead you to either like yourself more or like yourself less).
What does self-worth look like?
People often confuse the terms “self-worth” and “self-care.” Caring for yourself in certain ways or denying yourself care are actions of self-care or self-harm that show the world how you view yourself: what your sense of self-worth looks like.
Whether you like or dislike yourself, take pristine care of yourself or take a lackadaisical approach to self-care, harm yourself intentionally or keep yourself safe, fuel your body with nutrient-rich foods or gorge and over-eat regularly, exercise or live the life of a lazy person: these are all acts that reveal how you truly feel about yourself.
The act itself (for example, over-eating regularly) is not self-worth, but self-care or self-harm. Again, self-worth is how you feel about yourself. Self-care acts are how your self-worth is revealed to those around you.
That being said, self-worth comes in many different packages.
Self-worth can be high (loving yourself), low (hating yourself), or somewhere in between (feeling indifferent towards yourself).
How you feel about yourself is a direct reflection of your self-worth. If you love and care about yourself, you will act in ways that show it. If you’re disgusted by who you are, again, you will act in ways that reflect that belief.
Does self-worth vary from person to person?
Because we are all individuals with varying pasts, different life experiences and lessons, different memories, beliefs, ideas, and ideologies, we each hold our own individualized self-worth.
Self-worth looks different for everyone; it varies depending on your life experiences and your personal beliefs about who you are.
You will not feel about yourself the same way your neighbor feels about themselves, and vice versa. You may love yourself while your mother hates herself. You may feel as though you need improvement, while your best friend is vain and conceited, holding themselves in high regard.
Since we all grow up under different circumstances, we are all molded and shaped to believe certain things about ourselves, and this leads to varying degrees of positive or negative self-worth.
How do I determine my self-worth?
If you are unsure of where your self-worth falls, spend some time analyzing the ways in which you treat yourself, both good and bad.
Take a good look at the way you treat yourself. Your actions towards yourself are a direct reflection of your self-worth.
If you tend to act in ways that bring you pain, distress, or numbness, the likelihood is high that you have a low sense of self-worth. You bring harm to yourself through your own chosen methods (binging on food, drugs, or alcohol, ruining relationships, etc.).
These acts mirror low self-worth. You don’t view yourself as a good or valuable person, you think you’re unlovable or unworthy of care, or you generally dislike who you are.
The same can be said for high self-worth.
If you act in ways that bring you joy, happiness, and peace, you most likely have a high sense of self-worth. You care about yourself, and your actions reflect that.
Self-care acts can be anything that puts you in a better and healthier place, increases your mood, strengthens your relationships, enhances your physical wellbeing, and protects your mind and heart.
In between low and high self-worth is a vast spectrum of self-directed feelings that reveal how you think about yourself.
You could feel one way about yourself on Monday, but by Thursday have a completely different outlook based on the ever-expanding list of factors that contribute to your sense of self-worth.
Whatever your self-worth is, whether you love or loathe yourself, is not necessarily good or bad; it just is what it is. It can be taken, analyzed, shaped, and altered into something new based on your hopes of how you see yourself.
Once you have a strong understanding of where your self-worth is on a regular basis, you can then dive into why you feel the way you do.
Here is where we learn how to uncover and identify what you believe and why you believe it.
How do I identify my core beliefs about my self-worth?
When identifying your core beliefs about your self-worth and why it is what it is (high or low or in between), take a good look into your childhood, how you were raised, your environment growing up, things you were taught, and influential people in your life.
You could have your respective sense of self-worth based on an array of factors, ranging from a memory you have from second grade to a news article that struck a nerve with you ten years ago.
The amount of memories and moments and life lessons that unite and coalesce to form your self-worth is literally insurmountable. You may be able to drum up a couple of indelible memories that led you to believe what it is you believe about yourself, but you will not remember everything.
Some memories and lessons you’ve embedded into your subconscious, which affect your self-worth unknowingly.
However, the task of identifying your core beliefs is not inherently difficult. The challenge comes with the question “why;” why you believe what you believe. That’s where the real work begins.
Self-worth is on your side. It has a need and thirst to be healthy and strong, fueling you for greatness in your everyday life. If you desire to change how you see yourself, dive into your reasons why you believe what you believe. It is in those roots that you’ll find answers, and from there you can begin to care for yourself and speak to yourself in ways that reveal how you desire to feel about yourself.
Opinions and Perspectives
EchoVoid
2y ago
I never realized how much my self-worth influences my daily choices until reading this
Vibrant_Wellness_07
2y ago
This article perfectly explains why quick fix solutions don't work for improving self-worth
NeonSamurai
3y ago
The insights about generational differences in understanding self-worth are fascinating
Emerson-Reyes
3y ago
The article helps explain why changing our self-worth takes more than just positive thinking
RileyStewart
3y ago
Understanding that self-worth is different from self-esteem has been game-changing for me
VanessaMorris
3y ago
I've noticed my self-worth improves when I focus on my values rather than achievements
Grayson_2010
3y ago
The article could have explored more about how relationships affect our self-worth
SoulfulJourney
3y ago
It's interesting to think about how our self-worth affects our decision-making
EcoChicWellness
3y ago
I appreciate how the article emphasizes that changing self-worth is possible
Joanna_Flare
3y ago
The section about subconsious beliefs really resonated with me. There's so much we don't realize about ourselves
LeoLong
3y ago
Anyone else find it challenging to maintain their self-worth in competitive environments?
ShadowMasterX
3y ago
Wonder if there's a connection between social media use and declining self-worth in young people
Violet_Wish
3y ago
I've started paying attention to how I treat myself when no one's watching. Very revealing
Kessler_Keys
3y ago
The part about childhood influences explains so much about my current struggles
CleanEatsOnly
3y ago
Reading about the spectrum of self-worth made me realize it's not just a high or low thing
EnergizedLiving
3y ago
I wish the article had included more specific examples of how different life experiences shape self-worth
Schneider_Spotlight
3y ago
It's fascinating how our self-worth can impact even the smallest daily choices we make
Sawyer_Scoop
3y ago
Sometimes I think we focus too much on fixing low self-worth instead of maintaining healthy self-worth
Flex-And-Flow_69
3y ago
The article's emphasis on individual journeys is important. We can't use someone else's roadmap
The-Cozy_Minimalist
3y ago
I've noticed my self-worth improves when I set and maintain healthy boundaries
InnerLightShining
3y ago
Anyone else feel overwhelmed by trying to identify all their core beliefs?
PilatesPower
3y ago
The connection between self-worth and self-care actions is really making me rethink my habits
CamilaBailey
3y ago
I find myself questioning whether my self-worth is truly mine or just what society has taught me to believe
EcoFriendly_Life_888
3y ago
I'm starting to see how my low self-worth has been holding me back in my career
Tiana_Sunbeam
3y ago
I never considered how my self-worth might be affecting my daily decisions until reading this
Lily_Dreams
3y ago
The article made me think about how my parents' self-worth might have influenced mine
Hallie-West
3y ago
I think the hardest part is maintaining high self-worth when facing criticism or failure
Allison
3y ago
The article mentions subconscious beliefs. I wonder how we can access and change those
Limitless_Growth_777
3y ago
Anyone else notice how their self-worth affects their relationships with others?
BillyT
3y ago
Reading this made me reflect on how I talk to myself. I realized I'm pretty harsh sometimes
PaigeH
3y ago
The distinction between self-worth and self-esteem is subtle but important. I'm still trying to fully understand it
HologramHero
3y ago
I've found that journaling about my self-worth has helped me identify some of those core beliefs the article mentions
GravityRiderX
3y ago
It's interesting to think about how different our lives might be if we all had healthy self-worth from the start
Darla_Soft
3y ago
I appreciate how the article acknowledges that we can't remember everything that's shaped our self-worth
Hazel_Moore
3y ago
The section about self-worth being fluid and changing over time gives me hope that it can be improved
SelfCareSanctuary
3y ago
Does anyone else find it hard to separate their accomplishments from their sense of self-worth?
LiveWithPurpose
3y ago
The part about analyzing self-care actions as indicators of self-worth was eye-opening. I never made that connection before
Poniewozik_Post
3y ago
I wonder how many of us are walking around with low self-worth without even realizing it
TianaM
3y ago
The article's point about self-worth being separate from appearances really challenged my thinking
StretchAndStrength
3y ago
Reading about how self-worth varies from person to person made me feel less alone in my struggles
LunarFlare
3y ago
I used to think having high self-worth meant being confident all the time. This article helped me understand it's more nuanced than that
Sarai99
3y ago
It's fascinating how our self-worth can affect every aspect of our lives without us even realizing it
AdelineH
3y ago
I'm curious about how cultural differences affect self-worth. The article seems to take a very Western perspective
Lillian-Claire
3y ago
What practical steps can we take to improve our self-worth once we've identified our core beliefs?
Jenna_Smiles
3y ago
The article made me realize I've been confusing self-care routines with actual self-worth. Just because I do face masks doesn't mean I value myself
WyattFoster
3y ago
I find it interesting how millennials and Gen Z have embraced this concept so much more than previous generations
HenryAllen
3y ago
Yes, I tried looking into my childhood influences. It was hard but really enlightening. I discovered patterns I never noticed before
Elaine-Cobb
3y ago
I appreciate how the article emphasizes that everyone's self-worth journey is different. We can't compare ourselves to others
OConnell_Observations
3y ago
The section about how self-worth manifests in our actions was particularly helpful. Made me realize I need to pay more attention to my behavioral patterns
AlainaH
3y ago
I've noticed my self-worth tends to be tied to my achievements, which the article suggests isn't healthy. Anyone else struggle with this?
ZaharaJ
3y ago
Has anyone tried the suggestion of analyzing their childhood influences? I started doing this and it's been quite overwhelming
DarkCodeX
3y ago
You raise a good point about social media. I feel like it's created this pressure to constantly work on ourselves without actually addressing the deeper issues
Zoe
3y ago
The part about subconscious memories affecting our self-worth really hit home. There's probably so much influencing us that we're not even aware of
Mackenzie
3y ago
Sometimes I wonder if social media's obsession with self-worth is helping or hurting us. Are we overthinking it all?
Alice_Sunflower
3y ago
I struggle with the concept that self-worth can change so quickly from day to day. Mine feels pretty constant, even if not in a good way
Ramona_Dreamy
3y ago
The distinction between self-care actions and self-worth itself was eye-opening for me. I've been focusing too much on external actions without addressing my core beliefs
Fawn_Rose
3y ago
Actually I understand what the article means about self-worth not being inherently good or bad. It's more about recognizing where you are so you can work on improving if needed
Dionne_Discussion
3y ago
I disagree with the idea that self-worth isn't inherently good or bad. Surely having extremely low self-worth is objectively harmful to one's wellbeing?
Douthat_Dossier
3y ago
What resonated with me most was how our childhood experiences shape our self-worth. Looking back, I can see how certain moments really impacted how I view myself today
Benjamin-Frost
3y ago
I found this article really insightful, especially the part about how self-worth differs from self-esteem. I always thought they were the same thing