8 Ways to improve your Self-Esteem
How thinking about yourself differently can change the way you feel about yourself.
Self-Esteem is central to our survival. It is the basis of our well-being. Entire books have been written on the subject and many definitions have been formulated to capture the essence of what self-esteem is.
Self-esteem reflects a person’s overall subjective emotional evaluation of his or her own worth. It is a judgment of oneself as well as an attitude toward the self.
Self-esteem is a state of mind. It is the way you feel and think about yourself and others, and is measured by the way you act. – Connie Paladino
Self-esteem is a confidence in our ability to think, to cope with the basic challenges of life and confidence in our right to be successful and happy. – Nathaniel Branden
The way we judge ourselves and perceive how others look at us has a huge influence on our self-esteem and you may not even be aware of how debilitating this may be.
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Signs of low Self-Esteem
There are many signs of low self-esteem and shame is high on the list. Shame hurts our self-image and our belief that we can change things we don’t like about ourselves or our situation.
Other signs that can indicate low self-esteem could be feelings of pessimism, anxiety, over-exaggeration by making things seem more troublesome than what they are, perfectionism, blaming others or putting other people down, jealousy, sensitivity to criticism, hostility, lack of boundaries and allowing others to use you, codependency, self-neglect, eating disorders, depression, social withdrawal, physical signs that can range from fatigue to insomnia and headaches. These are some of the signs that can easily be noticed and as parents, teachers, brother, sisters and friends we can support those around us by becoming more aware of this in them and ourselves.
The need for positive self esteem and identity is common to all of us. We need to feel accepted, confident, worthy, and self-reliant. Ethel S Person, MD
8 Ways to improve your Self-Esteem
Become mindful of your inner voice
Your thoughts are powerful forces and how you talk to yourself influences how you feel about yourself. Ask yourself how your current way of thinking is helping you
, then start to delete the negative thoughts and replace them with more suitable thoughts. Test these thoughts by the feelings they activate in your body. Remember you feel your thoughts and by changing your thoughts you can create better feelings.
Become aware of how you view failure
Successful people love learning, value effort and persist in the face of obstacles. Do not be held back by trying to be perfect or by fear of not being perfect. Aim for effort rather than perfection and remember successful people are not inhibited by their fear of failure, they embrace it and are motivated by it.
Change the meaning you give it.
Whatever you look at, listen to, touch, smell or even taste will have the meaning you give it. It is only when you start to evaluate how you create the way you look at and experience the world around you that you can start to make the beneficial changes you need
Focus on yourself
That’s right… Focus on your own well-being and stop trying to please others, they are probably on their own mission anyhow. Let go of who you think others want you to be and be who you are – Only you can live your life and be happy in it. Start asking yourself what makes you happy and do more of that.
Connect
Connect with your family, friends, mentor or anybody you can trust and talk to them about how you feel. This can give you a different perspective and by just talking about it with somebody that understands can make you feel better.
Give someone a hug
When you hug somebody you can elevate your mood and happiness, reduce stress, lower blood pressure, strengthen your immune system, boosts self-esteem and much more.
Be active
Exercise! Being active and keeping fit can help you to feel better, relieve stress and also make you healthier. Join a club or group of friends, because being part of a group or team can also boost your confidence and sense of belonging.
Time for quiet inner reflection
When you find a quiet place and time to reflect inwardly you can connect to your inner wisdom, gain inner peace, increase your self-awareness, become calmer, find inspiration and rejuvenate your body and mind.
About the Author:
Bennie Louw BA.Hons (Univ of Stell), Certified Hypnotherapist, NLP, HNLP Practitioner/Coach and Certified Parts Therapy Facilitator and Change Practitioner.
Bennie has a passion for motivating people to breakthrough limiting beliefs. He can help you discover and get what you want in life. As a qualified NLP, HNLP Coach, practitioner and Certified Hypnotherapist he provides an opportunity for change and motivation to succeed.
There are many real life examples to illustrate this point e.g. have you ever needed to go to the doctor, dentist or have surgery and postponed going until the pain was unbearable and you had no choice but go and then getting the relief you wanted. Feeling so much better and wondering why you did not just go in the first place. Or maybe you are just avoiding completing a task due to the fear of being judged when it is done. Or maybe you are just not taking action e.g asking sombebody on a date, your boss for a raise or contacting a prospective client because of the “perceived” pain that you might be rejected. It is amazing how creative people sometimes can become in avoiding what can possibly bring them great success.
