10 Ways to Boost Self Esteem
There are many ways to boost self esteem. Self esteem is the positive or negative attitude one feels about themselves. Portraying yourself to be a certain way in your mind will eventually lead to disappointment. Here are ten ways that helps to boost your self esteem.
1. Avoid Negative People
Don't let people's negative perception of you lead you to start believing those negative thoughts of yours. When it comes to self esteem, your opinion is the only one that matters. Avoid people that treat you badly for this will start to make you feel bad towards yourself. Surrounding yourself around negative people will only make you act negatively.
2. Stop Trying to Please Everyone
You can't please everyone so don't try. Trying to please everyone will have you feeling unappreciated if you don't get that same treatment in return. Even though you should treat others how you want to be treated, you won't always get that same treatment in return. Not getting the same treatment in return is not a reflection of you, but them. Everyone's intention won't be the same as yours. Pleasing everyone is stressful. Don't rely on others to determine your self worth because of rejection. Don't expect things to always come out the way you expect it to. Be the unique person that you are. You don't need to seek validation from anyone. Never let the thoughts and feelings of not being able to help others affect you mentally, physically, and emotionally.
3. Occupy Yourself
Don't spend time thinking about something that makes you sad or insecure. Do the things you love to do to occupy your mind. If you are busy doing things you love to do, you're not going to have the time to dwell on negativity.
4. Get Support
It's OK to get the support you need when struggling with low self esteem. You don't have to do it alone. Having a good support system makes believing in yourself a lot easier. Communicating how you really feel shows that you are in tune with negative thoughts and really want the help. Being more open allows you to express all your feelings that you have been holding inside.
5. Forgive
You have to be able to forgive. Holding onto feelings of resentment will keep you in a state of negativity. Once you forgive yourself, you will be able to start to forgive others. Sometimes you have to change your perspective to see other's point of view. The past is the past and you can't change it so don't live with regrets. Having that sense of forgiveness is a relief lifted off your shoulders.
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Never feel like you are ever worthless. Have confidence on both the inside and out. Encourage yourself and treat yourself with kindness. The more you practice treating yourself genuinely, self confidence will rise. No one can see your insecurities and lack of confidence unless you show and tell them. Having strong self esteem results from day to day activities and how you control the bad thoughts. As you focus more on the present instead of what should have, could have and would have, confidence will come easily. Are these thoughts factual? Do you really believe the things you think about yourself? Would you say those things about yourself to someone else? If you wouldn't, then avoid saying them to yourself. Being hard on yourself while having low self esteem will lead to depression.
7. Don't Compare yourself to others
Comparing yourself to others can make you feel as if you're not worth it. Just because you feel someone has more than you, or is doing better than you in any type of way brings you down. There is no such thing as a life that's better than yours. Your insecurities shouldn't be a reflection on any and everything that someone says. Don't be so hard on yourself if things don't go exactly as you want them to. Know your own personal value.
8. Surround yourself around positive
Surround yourself around people who loves, cares, and accepts you just for who you are. It helps when family and friends remind you of things that you do right. If you expect to be treated a certain way, surround yourself around those people. Treat those who treat you negatively how to treat you. People see you differently than you see yourself. Openly accept the sayings of the ones who treat you good. This helps you view yourself in a different way other than how you view yourself. Hearing what people like about you instead of what they don't like about you puts your mind at ease. Treat others with kindness and the kindness will be returned. Being appreciated makes you feel better about yourself.
9. Make a list
Make a list of things you feel proud of. Celebrate your accomplishments. No matter how big or small, it's always a job well done. When you feel your self esteem is not high, look at the list to remind yourself of your success.
10. Turn negative thoughts to positivity
Negative talk can cause you to respond negatively. Emotions run high when there is negative talk around. Instead of feeling overwhelmed from negative thoughts, accept them. Don't allow negative thoughts to influence your behavior. When you feel bad, you will only remember bad times. As you continue to think about things that upset you, it will cause you to act in such a way that's not appropriate. The way you feel has a major impact on thoughts and behavior. Your self esteem will began to improve as you learn to control negative thoughts. If you can't control your thoughts, you will never be able to control your behavior. Learn from past failures and turn it into positives.
Being aware of your thoughts and feelings uncovers the real issue. Just because you see yourself to be a certain way. Thoughts are just thoughts; not necessarily to be factual. Thoughts are normal and may seem factual, but they are just perceptions of the way things should be.
By Taylor Chi
