Self-esteem is a person’s overall sense of worth and value, including factors like identity, confidence, and sense of belonging. Self-esteem is something that we all struggle with from time to time. Having strong feelings of self-worth not only helps us to feel better about ourselves, but it also helps us to better handle adversity and challenges when they come our way. High self-esteem also makes us less vulnerable to anxiety, which leads to better mental and physical health. The process of increasing personal self-esteem can be incredibly challenging. Our self-esteem fluctuates constantly over the course of a week, if not daily. It is worth acknowledging ways to improve our self-esteem at times where it feels low.
Signs of Healthy Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is the opinion you have about yourself. Healthy self-esteem can look like a variety of different things, such as being aware and okay with your own strengths and weaknesses. It should also be acknowledged that you are deserving of the respect of others and that your beliefs, morals, and opinions have value. Here are some other signs of good self-esteem:
- You are okay with making mistakes
- You are open to change when it is necessary
- You accept criticism and do not take it personally
- You stand up for yourself
- You are able to celebrate other people’s achievements
- You engage regularly in self-care
- You focus on your life and try not to compare your life to others
- You believe that you are equal to everyone
- You accept challenges and take risks to grow
- You value others as they are
- You value yourself as you are
Signs of Low Self-Esteem
Having low self-esteem not only affects the relationship that we have with ourselves, but it can also impact the relationships we have with others and how we allow others to treat us. Poor self-esteem and self-worth can look like:
- Poor confidence
- Lack of boundary setting
- Lack of control
- Negative social comparison
- Worry, doubt, and anxiety
- Problems accepting judgment or criticism
- Problems accepting positive feedback
- Fear of failure
- People-pleasing
Now that we have addressed what healthy and poor self-esteem look like, let’s look at 5 helpful ways to improve self-esteem.
#1. Self-Reflection
Self-esteem is built through self-awareness. Self-reflection is a useful tool that helps to identify personal attributes about ourselves. Create a journal or a list that helps to identify personal traits such as strengths, weaknesses, goals, and things that you love about yourself. You can also reflect on past experiences that have made you who you are today. There is always work to be done with self-reflection, which makes it a great option when you are feeling low in confidence or worth.
#2. Positive Brain Food
Feed your brain with positive material, such as self-love podcasts and videos, self-help books, and good conversations with friends. Listening to uplifting stories about other people’s experiences with finding self-worth can be moving and inspiring. It is comforting to know that we all struggle with self-worth from time to time. When you are feeling low, utilize a positive resource of your choosing to feed your brain with healthy thoughts!
#3. Avoid Comparison
Many issues with self-esteem develop from the comparison of yourself to someone else. When you catch yourself wishing you were someone else or lived someone else’s lifestyle, remember all of the experiences that have shaped you into the person you are. Remember that there is always something deeper happening outside of what we see on social media. Worth is not determined by success or by material possessions. A healthy comparison would look like creating achievable goals for yourself, given your specific life experiences.
#4. Practice Self-Care
Self-care is taking time to engage in activities that give you a sense of peace. Self-care can look different for everyone but may include taking a walk in nature, reading a fun book, getting enough sleep, or watching your favorite TV show. This may also include listening to your body, such as eating healthy foods or exercising. Maybe create a self-care routine that will give you things to do when you are feeling low in worth. Self-care is a necessary part of having good self-esteem, as well as recognizing when you need to engage in self-care.
#5. Ask for Support
When you need support, try your best to ask for it. Family members and close friends create some of the best support systems. When you are honest and open about the negative feelings you may be having with yourself, allow your friends and family to give you support. Remember that increasing self-esteem is a constant process, therefore it may take a while for personal feelings to become more positive. You may want to seek out other methods of support, such as group therapy or individual therapy, with a counselor that will also be able to provide advice and encouragement on your self-love journey.
Self-esteem is something that many of us struggle with every now and then. It is important to be able to recognize the signs of healthy and poor self-esteem, as well as when to seek help. Healthy self-esteem encourages us to become better through fostering personal confidence, being able to accept mistakes and criticism, and recognizing the value in your own life. Poor self-esteem may include lacking boundaries, engaging in negative social comparison, and having problems with worry and doubt. When our self-esteem is low, it is important to have intentional ideas of how to increase feelings of self-worth. We offer 5 ways to improve self-esteem which include positive self-reflection, positive brain food, avoiding comparison, practicing self-care, and asking for support when necessary. Achieve Concierge wants to help you on your journey to self-love, where dedicated professionals meet specialized treatment. For more information, please give us a call at (619) 393-5871.