Does low self esteem cause you to think slower?

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I am male and 17 with some self esteem problems and some other issues and I am extremely slow in what I do. I lost some of my confidince in my self and I was wondering does this cause you to react slower than normal? I think my self esteem made me fail some of my classes because a lot of people tell me that I can't do something or that there is nothing that I seem to get right so than I fail. I have failed every test and quiz I got and I have not done any good on them. I would like t oknow if this is apart of that. I am no longer in some of the classes I am in and I feel really stupid because of this so now I am even more depressed at this becaus it just proved to everyone that they where right and I would like to know am I the only one like this?

i think low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression can all cause a person to struggle in academics. in my job, for example, i have to remember 9-digit strings of numbers for a few seconds as i type them into the computer and normally it isn't a problem. but when i am having a hard time in life and can't focus and feel bad about myself, i can't even remember 3 digits at a time.

you are not stupid, but the cycle of low-self-esteem can definitely make things go badly in school. i think you already have it figured out, but basically you are constantly calling yourself a stupid failure in your own head, so of course you will fail.

the question is how you can fix this. do you get any special accommodations at school or can you get some assistance from a school counsellor in learning new strategies to improve your grades?

I'm not sure. What I will say is that it usually means a lack of motivation and a belief of failure, so perhaps for this reason thinking may be impacted in general.
I've been depressed and during the worst of the period the lack of motivation and stress meant I slipped in schoolwork, as it was at the time.
Finally, I will say that if you believe you will fail, you most likely will. Somehow (and it won't be easy), you need to reverse that thinking. Being surrounded by positive people I've found has been a big help.
Hope things improve for you soon.

The short answer is Yes.

Here's the long answer:
It's a natural response to stress and anxiety. Instinctively your body directs your energy to your body so you can react in a Fight or Flight life-saving response to stress. This causes the mind to think irrationally. Whenever you consider removing yourself from the planet or any other self-harming act, that is an irrational thought caused by a lack of energy and blood to your brain. You can alter this by engaging in some physical activity that will help exert the energy and allow your brain to think again. This is why some people claim to think better after or during a work-out. Mind you, exercise isn't the end-all/be-all answer to depression and anxiety. It is one thing among a number of things, including medication and/or therapy, that can be done to improve the life of someone with these conditions.