Self-esteem is what we believe about ourselves, how we value and respect ourselves. Self-esteem can be influenced by the roles we have in life, our relationships, and our experiences. Ultimately self-esteem comes down to whether we acknowledge our successes and put our ‘failures’ into perspective, If we always focus on what we can’t do then we are likely to feel bad about ourselves. This is important when it comes to early menopause. If you feel a failure or that you are not successful at many things and you only focus on this, then your self-esteem will be low.

It is important to challenge these thoughts and feelings, and focus on things that you can do, and do well. You may be a fantastic friend, or you are really creative, good in the garden or at cooking. Everyone has something they are good at, and you need to acknowledge these things. If you truly can’t think of something, then now is the time to dream and add new activities and roles. Low self-esteem is a big contributor to feelings of anxiety and depression, so it can be really helpful to work through this with a psychologist. As you will see in the next section, roles are really important too.

Content updated May 04, 2006