Self Esteem
Self esteem means thinking as highly of yourself as you think of your family and friens. We are so used to negative feedback that we are more aware of our weaknesses than our strengths. We are often taught we will "fail," so it is often hard to enjoy success, no matter how small each "success" might be.
Having great self-esteem happens naturally when you let go of your inner-critic. This page is designed to help you understand how to let go of your inner-critic by discovering why that critic is there. Each person is unique, and is the key that will open their way to healthy self esteem.
What is Self Esteem?
Self esteem is the experience of being competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and of being worthy of happiness.
The feeling like you do belong and that you're good enough.
Why is High Self Esteem so Necessary?
High self esteem is the immune system of the spirit, helping an individual face life problems and bounce back from adversity. So high self esteem is crucial during the turbulence of your life.
Your esteem is one of the hardest things to build and one of the easiest to lose. It can be damaged by the negativity towards you by people you allow in your lives; by measuring yourselves against the media portrayal of what it means to be beautiful or desirable (where most of you/us will always come up short); and by your own inner voice if you allow it to pour negative thoughts and observations about yourselves into your subconscious.
Positive thinking the key to High Self Esteem
Positive thinking is the key to living a happy, fulfilled life. Self affirmation and personal mantras can alter your negative thinking habits and turn you from a cup half empty to a cup half full person.
Over time, positive thinking can even teach you to see the cup as overflowing! You can improve your worldview as well as the way you look at yourself, and break the habit of putting yourself down, learning instead to build yourself up day by day.
What is Low Self Esteem?
Low self esteem results from a poor self image. Your self image is based on how you see yourself. Do you think you are a good, reliable, hardworking, honest or friendly person?
Low self esteem also depends on other factors like your job. For example, do you value the job you do? Does the job you have help you be happy with who you are?
Low self esteem feeds your negative thinking and makes you believe negative comments others make. This can cause you to lose confidence so it is vital to end negative thoughts if you want to build your self esteem.
Activities That Will Help Build Self Esteem?
Any of the following activities will help you feel better about yourself and reinforce your self-esteem over the long term. Read through them. Do those that seem most comfortable to you. You may want to do some of the other activities at another time. You may find it helpful to repeat some of these activities again and again.
Make affirming lists
Making lists, rereading them often, and rewriting them from time to time will help you to feel better about yourself. If you have a journal, you can write your lists there. If you don't, any piece of paper will do.
Make a list of -
* at least five of your strengths, for example, persistence, courage, friendliness, creativity
* at least five things you admire about yourself, for example the way you have raised your children, your good relationship with your brother, or your spiritualityv
* the five greatest achievements in your life so far, like recovering from a serious illness, graduating from high school, or learning to use a computer
* at least 20 accomplishments-they can be as simple as learning to tie your shoes, to getting an advanced college degree
* 10 ways you can "treat" or reward yourself that don't include food and that don't cost anything, such as walking in woods, window-shopping, watching children playing on a playground, gazing at a baby's face or at a beautiful flower, or chatting with a friend
* 10 things you can do to make yourself laugh
* 10 things you could do to help someone else
* 10 things that you do that make you feel good about yourself
Reinforcing a positive self image
To do this exercise you will need a piece of paper, a pencil or pen, and a timer or clock. Any kind of paper will do, but if you have paper and pen you really like, that will be even better.
Set a timer for 10 minutes or note the time on your watch or a clock. Write your name across the top of the paper. Then write everything positive and good you can think of about yourself. Include special attributes, talents, and achievements. You can use single words or sentences, whichever you prefer. You can write the same things over and over if you want to emphasize them. Don't worry about spelling or grammar. Your ideas don't have to be organized. Write down whatever comes to mind. You are the only one who will see this paper. Avoid making any negative statements or using any negative words-only positive ones. When the 10 minutes are up, read the paper over to yourself. You may feel sad when you read it over because it is a new, different, and positive way of thinking about yourself-a way that contradicts some of the negative thoughts you may have had about yourself. Those feelings will diminish as your reread this paper. Read the paper over again several times. Put it in a convenient place-your pocket, purse, wallet, or the table beside your bed. Read it over to yourself at least several times a day to keep reminding yourself of how great you are! Find a private space and read it aloud. If you can, read it to a good friend or family member who is supportive.
Developing Positive Affirmations
Affirmations are positive statements that you can make about yourself that make you feel better about yourself. They describe ways you would like to feel about yourself all the time. They may not, however, describe how you feel about yourself right now. The following examples of affirmations will help you in making your own list of affirmations -
* I feel good about myself
* I take good care of myself. I eat right, get plenty of exercise, do things I enjoy, get good health care, and attend to my personal hygiene needs
* I spend my time with people who are nice to me and make me feel good about myself
* I am a good person
* I deserve to be alive
* Many people like me
Make a list of your own affirmations. Keep this list in a handy place, like your pocket or purse. You may want to make copies of your list so you can have them in several different places of easy access. Read the affirmations over and over to yourself-aloud whenever you can. Share them with others when you feel like it. Write them down from time to time. As you do this, the affirmations tend to gradually become true for you.
You gradually come to feel better and better about yourself.
Your personal "celebratory scrapbook" and place to honor yourself.
Develop a scrapbook that celebrates you and the wonderful person you are. Include pictures of yourself at different ages, writings you enjoy, mementos of things you have done and places you have been, cards you have received, etc. Or set up a place in your home that celebrates "you." It could be on a bureau, shelf, or table. Decorate the space with objects that remind you of the special person you are. If you don't have a private space that you can leave set up, put the objects in a special bag, box, or your purse and set them up in the space whenever you do this work. Take them out and look at them whenever you need to bolster your self-esteem.
Appreciation self esteem exercise
At the top of a sheet of paper write "I like _____ (your name) because:" Have friends, acquaintances, family members, etc., write an appreciative statement about you on it. When you read it, don't deny it OR don't argue with what has been written, just accept it! Read this paper over and over. Keep it in a place where you will see it often.
Self esteem calendar
Get a calendar with large blank spaces for each day. Schedule into each day some small thing you would enjoy doing, such as "go into a flower shop and smell the flowers," "call my sister," "draw a sketch of my cat," "buy a new CD," "tell my daughter I love her," "bake brownies," "lie in the sun for 20 minutes," "wear my favorite scent," etc. Now make a commitment to check your "enjoy life" calendar every day and do whatever you have scheduled for yourself.
Mutual complimenting self esteem exercise.
Get together for 10 minutes with a person you like and trust. Set a timer for five minutes or note the time on a watch or clock. One of you begins by complimenting the other person-saying everything positive about the other person-for the first five minutes. Then the other person does the same thing to that person for the next five minutes. Notice how you feel about yourself before and after this exercise. Repeat it often.
Raise Your Self Esteem
Posted on
juni 11, 2010
Pay attention to your own desires and wants. Listen to what your body, your brain, and your heart are telling you. For example, if your body is telling you that you have been seated down too long, comic and stretch. If your heart is yearning to spend more time with a exceptional ally, manage it. If your brain is telling you to clean up your basement, hear to your very well liked melodies, or halt considering awful ideas about yourself, take those ideas seriously.
Take very good care of yourself. As you were increasing up you may not have wise how to take good care of yourself. In detail, much of your vigilance may have been on taking care of other ones, on just getting by, or on "behaving well." Begin today to take good care of yourself. Treat yourself as a magnificent parent would heal a little progeny or as one very best ally might heal another. If you work at taking good care of yourself, you will find that you seem better about yourself. Here are some modes to take good care of yourself