What is self-esteem?
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, self-esteem is defined as a confidence and satisfaction in oneself. But self-esteem is much more than that. It is an overall reflection of an individual’s self-worth, perceived through beliefs about oneself and the emotional response to those beliefs. Self-esteem is how worthy we feel of happiness and allows us to successfully address life challenges. On the other hand, low self-esteem can be debilitating and may prevent an individual from reaching their goals. Low self-esteem is characterized by feelings of unworthiness and insignificance, self-criticism, passiveness, and general negativity about life. Though it might feel impossible to overcome low self-esteem, it is completely possible!
Here are 7 things you can do to help boost your self-esteem.
- Live in the moment: When you’re focused on the moment, you can choose your actions consciously and wisely, without worries of past hurts or worries of the future.
- Be non-judgemental: Simply accept yourself, your experiences, your failures and successes, and other people as they are, neither good or bad and without pride or shame.
- Stay connected to yourself: Mindfulness can help you reduce your people-pleasing ways by stopping autopilot thinking. It encourages you to be active and assertive in creating your life.
- Show compassion toward yourself: Self-compassion provides you with the love, safety, and acceptance you need.
- Stop listening to your inner critic: We all have an inner voice that critics everything we do and say. It nags us with negative thoughts about ourselves and the people around us. Recognize these thoughts as soon as you start thinking them. Then choose not to listen to the inner critic. Imagine how you would feel if someone else was saying these things to you.
- Stop comparing yourself to others: Instead of worrying about how you measure up to the people around you, think about the type of person you want to be. Set your goals and take actions that are consistent with your own values.
- Do something meaningful: We tend to feel good about ourselves when we do something meaningful, taking part in activities that are helpful to others.
For more information on Practicing Self-Care
