Topic
Self-esteem
Self-esteem is the way we judge and treat ourselves. When it is low, it pushes us to criticise ourselves harshly, avoid challenges or depend on other people's approval. The resources in this topic offer gradual work on these habits of thought and behaviour, and also cover perfectionism, procrastination, assertiveness and emotional dependence.
7 resources
For the public
Perfectionism: high standards without burning out
Rereading a two-line email five times, putting off a report because it will not be perfect, remembering only the two marks lost out of twenty. This guide tells the high standards that help apart from the perfectionism that hurts, explains why the bar goes up every time you reach it, and offers a method that has been evaluated: spotting your rules, testing "good enough", widening what your worth rests on and answering self-criticism differently.
Saying no: standing up for yourself
Agreeing to one more meeting, a favour at the worst possible moment, a dinner you dread — and then being annoyed with yourself all evening. This guide explains why refusing is so hard, how to say no without justifying yourself or attacking, how to ask for what you need, how to hold firm when someone insists, and what to do with the guilt that follows.
Self-esteem: a step-by-step programme to rebuild it
Why low self-esteem survives compliments, achievements and positive affirmations — and an eight-step, evidence-based programme to raise it for good.
Stop putting it off: procrastination
The file opened and closed again, the email read four times and never answered, the envelope that has been sitting on the hall table for three weeks. Procrastination is neither laziness nor simply poor organisation: it is a way of escaping, right now, the discomfort a task stirs up, and paying for it later. This guide explains that mechanism and offers a step-by-step method, for studying as well as for work.
Getting out of emotional dependence
Waiting for a message all day, rereading a conversation ten times, asking once again whether you are loved, and feeling everything collapse as soon as the other person moves away a little. This guide explains that mechanism without making an illness of it, shows why seeking reassurance drives away precisely what you want to keep, and offers a method for rebuilding a foundation that no longer depends on one single person.
For professionals
These manuals are written for psychologists, psychiatrists and other mental health practitioners. Anyone can read a preview; the full text is reserved for practitioners who have submitted proof of their professional status and who hold a professional plan.
Perfectionism: a therapist's manual
A ten-session protocol, session by session, for adults whose personal worth depends almost entirely on their results, based on cognitive behavioural therapy for clinical perfectionism. First the triage, because perfectionism is not a diagnosis, because it often accompanies an eating disorder, OCD, depression or burnout that have their own treatment, and because suicide risk hides behind control. Treatment then addresses the circle that maintains perfectionism, the "good enough" experiments, the reduction of checking and putting off, evaluation biases, the sources of self-worth and self-criticism. The manual also sets out the debates on the dimensions of perfectionism, the measures and their status, what the trials really show and what they do not, with the worksheets to hand over and full references.
Body dysmorphic disorder: a therapist's manual
A sixteen-session protocol, session by session, for body dysmorphic disorder in adults, with a section on adolescents. Safety first, because suicide risk is high, and a working agreement that never goes through a debate about appearance. Then the inventory of rituals, perceptual mirror retraining, exposure without camouflage and with response prevention, attention turned outwards, reassurance and those close to the person, thoughts, and what appearance is supposed to say about personal worth. Surgery and cosmetic procedures, muscle dysmorphia, the place of medication, ten worksheets to hand over and full references.
Other topics
- Addictions10
- ADHD6
- Anxiety34
- Attention & focus9
- Autism4
- Children & parents35
- Depression & mood25
- Eating disorders4
- Emotions24
- Gender identity1
- Grief7
- Loneliness5
- Longevity5
- Mindfulness1
- Neurocognitive disorders3
- OCD7
- Personality disorders12
- Psychosis8
- Relationships14
- Sleep12
- Stress & burnout10
- Studying3
- Tics & Tourette1
- Trauma10
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