How to Boost Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is defined as the overall opinion of yourself. This is determined by the feelings you have towards your abilities and your limitations. Everyone has a self-esteem, but each person differentiates between low or just right self-esteem.
Low self-esteem is characterized as ones focus on perceived weaknesses and faults and they give no or little lack of credit to their skills or assets.
Healthy self-esteem is characterized as a good balance and accurate view of self and has a good opinion of abilities but also recognizes their faults.
Most individuals fall between the range of low and healthy self-esteem, but there are a significant number of individuals who battle with low self-esteem.
So, how can we boost self-esteem so that healthy self-esteem is attainable?
Here are four steps to take to achieve healthy self-esteem:
- Identify troubling conditions: think about the conditions or situation that tend to deflate your self-esteem.
Some common influences of self-esteem can be:
-Your thoughts and perceptions
-How others react to you
-Experiences at home, school, work, and in the community
-Illnesses, disability, or injury
-Age
-Role and status in society
-Media messages
- Become aware of thoughts: Once you have identified the troubling condition(s), pay attention to your thoughts about them.
Ask yourself, is what I am thinking true? Would you say these thoughts to a friend? If the thoughts you are having is something that you would not say to a friend then you should not say them to yourself.
- Challenge negative thinking: Initial thoughts may not be the only way to view a situation.
You want to ask yourself if your thoughts line up with the facts of the situation? Is there other explanation to the situation other than my initial thought?
- Adjust your thoughts and beliefs: Replace negative or inaccurate thoughts with accurate and constructive thoughts.
-Adjust your negative thoughts to positive ones
-Use encouraging words to yourself
-Forgive yourself if applicable
Once healthy self-esteem has been attained then we can enjoy the benefits.
Benefits of healthy self-esteem include:
- Able to form secure and honest relationships
- Assertive in expressing your needs and opinions
- Confident in your ability to make decisions
- Realistic in your expectations and less likely to be overcritical with yourself
- Resilient and better able to weather stress and setbacks
And most importantly to feel good, secure, and increased self-worth (Mayo, 2020).
Resources
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2020, July 14). Does your self-esteem need a boost? Mayo Clinic. Retrieved January 17, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/self-esteem/art-20047976
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