At least once in your life time you must have come across the word “Self-esteem”.
Self is the tool to connect to the external as well as our internal environment. And too often than not, we have a nonchalant attitude towards ourselves. The value we put to ourselves is an important factor in determining the course of our lives.
What exactly is self-esteem?
Self-esteem is an individual’s subjective evaluation of their own worth. This comprises of one’s own beliefs about oneself and also their emotional states. Smith & Mackie (2007) has defined self-esteem as “The self-concept is what we think about the self; self-esteem is the positive or negative evaluations of the self, as in how we feel about it.”
The hardcore fact is that every single human being is different in this world and they possess their own strengths and weaknesses; some unique qualities and oddity which make them the person they are. Yes, this will not be liked and appreciated by everyone and that’s absolutely fine. It does not have to be that way either.
An individual’s self-esteem plays a vital role in not only the way they see themselves but also on the way they perceive where and how they fit into the world.
So what are the ways by which we can build our Self-esteem?
Here are 10 small things one can do on a regular basis to improve self-esteem :
1. Your Choices in Life is in Your Hand
Many a times we do not exert any over certain situations, turn away from it and leave it completely upon fate.
People with low self-esteem quite often feel that they have little choice in their lives and about how they feel. The solution to this is grabbing as many choices as possible and follow them through and through.
The more one feels that he/she can control his/her choices in life, the more confident they become.
2. Practicing Good personal Hygiene
A regular shower, decent clothing and proper grooming can work wonder and has an immense impact on a person’s mental well-being. Self-care suffers when a person feels that he/she is contributing to nothing thereby making him/her feel low and depressed. This builds up negative feeling of self-worth.
Therefore, maintaining some amount of hygiene and grooming standards even if not willing from within will definitely enhance one’s self image over time.
3. Elimination of Negative Self Talk
Negative self-talk needs to be counteracted, restricted as much as possible and pushed away the moment it comes in one’s mind.
The quality of an individual’s present thoughts about themselves affects their overall outlook on who they are. Therefore, whenever we realize we are having negative thoughts about ourselves, we must then and there challenge and counter it with the positives that we see in us.
Taking help of a friend to generate a list of your positive sides can be a great help indeed. Reading the list every day before starting off with the daily chores or using the same when countering negative self-talk will sure shot overpower the latter and boost self-esteem.
4. Setting and accomplishing reasonable goals
Goal setting helps a person to work towards and achieve greater things in life.
Maintaining a record for goal setting, planning and pursuit can fodder the self-esteem because here we are manually keeping a track of what we accomplish and how far we have succeeded in our journey.
This can in turn help us prove our worth to our doubtful mind. It’s hard to eliminate doubts completely but we can try to minimize it to a great extent, can’t we?
5. Finding Positives in one’s mistakes
It is very natural for every one of us to make mistakes but, a person who has a low self-esteem is likely to blame themselves for that.
We must never forget that “every cloud has a silver lining.”
Hence treating mistake as a lesson learnt, finding the positive side in the mistakes and persevering to attain the goals regardless of it should be the sole motto in one’s mind. This can aid in building self-worth.
Mistakes and failures do not mean “the end of life”. Rather, this ending will pave a way towards a new beginning!
6. Practicing Stress Management and Self Care
Apart from personal hygiene and grooming standards, self-care also includes stress management and relaxation.
No human is free of life’s pain, anxieties and challenges. To manage and maintain steadiness, it is highly essential to engage in some or the other stress relieving activities and enjoy ‘quiet me time.’
Thus scheduling self-care into one’s hectic timetable is a dire necessity.
7. Exercising regularly
Exercise plays a pivotal role in maintaining a healthy mind and body. It will make you feel powerful physically and magnify your confidence and mental strength.
You do not need a complicated workout regime for that. Even a 30 minute walk can help combat depression significantly and enhance self-esteem.
8. Implementing a Healthy and Balanced Diet
People with low self-esteem will seek comfort in junk food as they likely feel that they do not deserve much care.
Sustaining a healthy and balanced diet on a regular basis can lower the effects of stress and depression and level up one’s perception of themselves. Feeding your body with good fuel will undoubtedly make you feel good about yourself inside out.
9. Accomplishing tasks that you may be putting off
We all have many duties which we need to handle over the course of our day. But, those little things become side-tracked just because we are either too busy or simply do not care.
So don’t hang it over! Start finishing those duties right then and get it over with. This will subsequently reduce stress and raise self-esteem as we would find ourselves accomplishing tasks regularly.
10. Sustaining a regular and healthy Sleep Schedule
A good night’s sleep helps in preserving the overall health and well-being of a person. Our brain produces essential mood-balancing chemicals in the deepest cycles of sleep, so 7-8 hours of proper sleep is a ‘real need’.
The better we sleep, the better our brains will function. Sound sleep can improve one’s attitude and lighten the stress and worries one has in life, thus contributing to a person’s positive perception of the self.
Evaluating one’s own worth solely depends upon a person’s belief system. Therefore, building and growing self-esteem on a regular basis depends on you. After all, you are the master of your own life!
Read more : 45 Uplifting Self esteem Quotes To Boost your Self-esteem