WELLNESS
Stephen Truelove is a Mindset Coach and Emotional Support Therapist with over 20 years experience, co-author of The Therapy of Cooking with Cardiff restaurateur Giovanni Malacrino and author of A Journey of Discovery and Self-Learning. Having experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows of life, Stephen developed the Love Life Love You process, Breaking Limitations, and now helps people tackle anxiety, depression and other obstacles to become the best possible version of themselves.
Be your real self, Find real friends, Make a real difference Sigmund Freud defined the two greatest human needs as Love and Work – in other words, good relationships with others and using your talents to make a difference. Both involve not just knowing who you really are, but feeling good about who you really are – i.e. self-esteem. FINDING THE REAL YOU Self-esteem is not who we are, but how we feel about who we are, which may be based on false ideas buried deep in our subconscious.
Self-esteem affects decision-making, relationships, emotional health and overall wellbeing. It also influences motivation, as people with a positive view of themselves and their own potential feel more inspired to take on new challenges.
SELF-ESTEEM IS INFLUENCED BY MANY FACTORS
• How other people react to you • Experiences at home, school, work and in the community • Messages given out by the media. But your own thoughts are the biggest influence on your self-esteem, and they are within your control.
If you tend to focus on your weaknesses or flaws, working on changing that can help you develop a more balanced view of yourself. “Just believe in yourself and all things are possible”. If trite comments like that were true, we could all fly around the treetops without finishing up in plaster or worse. Nevertheless, believing in and accepting yourself for who you are is an important factor in success, relationships, and happiness. Healthy self-esteem guides us towards accepting reality, understanding why we fail, problemsolving instead of feeling sorry for ourselves or giving up. Style of the city 65
