#self-conscious
#embarrassed
Is your child usually embarrassed to order food themselves, shy to talk to other kids and is overly concerned with other people's opinion on them? Do they talk negatively of themselves including appearance or traits? Do they easily get embarrassed?
If you answered yes to any of these, then it sounds like you could be feeling self-conscious.
Self-consciousness is the tendency for someone to direct their attention towards themselves. There are three different types of self-consciousness:
Each type of self-consciousness, like any mental illness, can be treated by identifying and understanding their own specific self-conscious habits and then working on their own, or with a psychologist, to apply strategies and/or mental exercises to help them over time reduce the degree of self-consciousness they're feeling.
To help you identify what type of self-consciousness your child may have, read below for what current scientific research says is commonly associated each self-conscious type:
Private Self-Consciousness
Public Self-Consciousness
Social Anxiety
Hopefully now you have a better idea about self-consciousness and what type of self-consciousness your child may be suffering from. Don’t worry if you think there is more than one type that you can see them having, this is completely normal.
If you think your child suffers from self-consciousness, click here to access MaxiMind’s tools for limiting their self-consciousness and maximising their mind. If you’re not sure or just want to talk about things further, then click here to book a time for them to talk with one of our friendly qualified psychologists.
And remember, if it’s an emergency, please call 000.
References
Panayiotou, G., Karekla, M., & Panayiotou, M. (2014). Direct and indirect predictors of social anxiety: The role of anxiety sensitivity, behavioral inhibition, experiential avoidance and self-consciousness. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 55(8), 1875-1882.
Charles S. Carver & David C. Glass (1976) The Self-Consciousness Scale: A Discriminant Validity Study, Journal of Personality Assessment, 40:2, 169-172.
Debra A. Hope & Richard G. Heimberg (1988) Public and Private Self Consciousness and Social Phobia, Journal of Personality Assessment, 52:4, 626-639.
Monfries, M. M., & Kafer, N. F. (1994). Private self-consciousness and fear of negative evaluation. Journal of Psychology, 128(4), 447.
Takishima-Lacasa, J. Y., Higa-McMillan, C. K., Ebesutani, C., Smith, R. L., & Chorpita, B. F. (2014, July 28). Self-Consciousness and Social Anxiety in Youth: The Revised Self-Consciousness Scales for Children. Psychological Assessment. Advance online publication.
Fenigstein, A., Scheier, M. F., & Buss, A. H. (1975). Public and private self-consciousness: Assessment and theory. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 43(4), 522–527.
Higa, C.K., Phillips, L.K., Chorpita, B.F. et al. The Structure of Self-Consciousness in Children and Young Adolescents and Relations to Social Anxiety. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 30, 261–271 (2008).
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).
#confidence #self #esteem
Coping with self-consciousness firstly requires you to understand what it is and it’s various types. Click here to read our blog on ‘What is Self-Consciousness’.
Self-consciousness can be overcome by building our sense of self, self-esteem and self-confidence. We can do this by first working out what is causing us to be self-conscious. It is worth spending some time thinking about the situations, scenarios and people that may cause you to feel embarrassed, ashamed, stupid and/or judged.
Once we are aware of what is causing us to feel self-conscious, we can use strategies to manage our feelings of self-consciousness.
Start by trying these strategies:
#selflove #esteem #confidence
One time in class someone cracked a joke about the size of Poppy’s nose. Everyone laughed except for Poppy. She went home that day feeling down about herself. From that day, she found that when she scrolled through a model’s Instagram, she would fixate on their noses and compare them to hers. Every time she talked to someone, she wondered if they were looking and thinking about the size of her nose. She wouldn’t answer questions in class because she couldn’t stand everyone looking at her. Soon her feelings and inner thoughts of self-consciousness started to impact her school experience and social life.
Poppy’s story is not an uncommon one. There are times when we all have negative feelings towards ourselves that leave us questioning our self-worth, limiting our true potential. This is known as self-consciousness. These feelings of self-doubt and judgement are all too common in young people who are just trying to find their way in the world. That’s because we are continually trying to make sense of who we are and our place in the world, so every interaction with other people, the media, and the environment all contributes to our sense of self. There are many situations such as Poppy’s where these experiences go awry and damage our feelings of self. What a lot of people don’t realise or acknowledge is that how we feel on the inside can very often impact how we feel on the outside. When we have thoughts about how people perceive us, we can eventually start sharing these thoughts. My thoughts of “I’m not good enough” can start slipping into “They didn’t invite me because they don’t think I’m good enough to hang out with them”.
Knowing how common these experiences are and how impactful they are on our general wellbeing, why don’t we find ways of healing and seek help as we would with any physical pain? We see a doctor when our body hurts, a dentist when our teeth hurt… but what about when our hearts hurt? Just because it’s invisible doesn’t mean it’s any less important in our journey towards wellbeing. Feelings of self-consciousness can be managed in ways that have been scientifically proven and shown to be effective in practice… but it can be scary asking for help. That’s why there are ways to access the help you need in a less daunting but just as effective way.
MaxiMinds can be a tool to help you do so, to help in your journey of self-discovery and growth, and teach you steps towards building confidence and self-love. MaxiMinds offers blog posts talking through different types of feelings like when you’re feeling down, lost, unsure or anxious. Blog posts not only provide information and tools grounded by research, but serve to help people realise: “Hey, you’re not alone on this journey!”
Strategies such as working on daily affirmations and listing key strengths are also activities that can be done at home to boost confidence. When you’re ready to take the next step, an online session with a psychologist is available to discuss anything from your feelings to what steps you can take next. Cognitive behaviour therapy tools are effective ways to approach mental and emotional health issues and have been shown to be just as effective when delivered online.
Want to learn more about self-consciousness and other emotions? Information on tools to manage negative feelings and general information on mental health can be found here. MaxiMinds is here to help you become your most beautiful self, starting from within!
MaxiMinds is not an emergency mental health service. If you or someone you know are in urgent need of help, please present to the emergency department at your nearest hospital or contact the following mental health crisis teams.
Emergency 000 | Mental Health Line 1800 011 511 | Lifeline 13 14 11