Self esteem is more than just how great you believe yourself to be. It’s also whether you consider yourself worthy of different experiences, relationships and opportunities that may present themselves to you, as well as your ability to manage rejection, failure and hardships in your world. 

Your Self Esteem

Your self esteem affects the way you move through the world, and has a major impact on how you navigate your career, your relationships and your personal health. To give your sense of self esteem a boost, read on for tips to help you feel more comfortable in your own skin. 

6 Practical Tips to Boost Your Self Esteem

1. Identify Your Strengths

One of the biggest ways to develop a stronger sense of self-worth is to consider your own talents and abilities. Whether you’re an excellent cook, you’re on your way to joining the ranks of wellness leaders such as D Gary Young or you always know the right thing to say to a friend when times get hard, there are dozens of things to celebrate about who you are. 

Often, low self esteem is the result of unfair comparisons you make in your head about who you are and who you think you should be. Focus instead on the things that you’re great at, and less on areas you think you need to improve.

2. Look at Your Triggers

If you tend to feel more down on yourself during certain times, including work situations, social gatherings or while at home alone, make a note of it. That way, you’ll be able to anticipate feelings of low self-worth and can come up with ways to support yourself or get ahead of negative thought patterns well before they happen. 

3. Use Affirmations That Work For You

Positive affirmations can be difficult for people with low self esteem, particularly those that cause friction with beliefs you may have about yourself. Instead of reciting general affirmations that you hope will sink in one day, turn to statements that encourage you to believe in your potential or question negative thoughts you have about yourself. 

For example, consider repeating thoughts and affirmations that solidify your ability to work through difficult situations, your desires to be successful and believe in your abilities or your capacity for resilience.

4. Acknowledge Your Thoughts

It’s common to get wrapped up in thought patterns that begin to convince you of a certain reality, but it’s important to remember that you are not your thoughts. Instead of being ruled by the things that run through your head, start to practice observing your thoughts as events and feelings that may or may not be true.

Start to simply notice the thoughts that occur in your mind without taking any action or allowing them to affect your feelings by giving yourself a moment of pause as soon as they happen. 

5. Challenge Negativity

Low self esteem is often caused or worsened by negative thoughts that may or may not be accurate, but feel real because of how powerful they seem in your mind. When a negative belief about yourself crops up, take a minute to question its validity.

It may be difficult to achieve, but the more you recognize limiting beliefs or unkind thoughts you have about who you are and what you’re capable of, the closer you will become to increasing your perception of self-worth. 

6. Practice Acceptance

For those who struggle with low self esteem, it can seem impossible to jump immediately into a place of self-love. Rather than try to practice unconditional love with yourself, which may be a tall order, practice unconditional self-acceptance instead.

Acknowledge the things you cannot change and consider the way you might treat a friend who verbalized negative thoughts about a similar trait or characteristic. If you notice things that you don’t particularly enjoy about yourself that you do have the power to change, however, invite yourself to exercise compassion and give yourself credit for seeing your own potential and ability to grow and develop.

These thoughts can drive you to take better care of yourself, which can increase your sense of self esteem through the process. 

Comments