Do you struggle with self esteem issues?

If you answered yes, know that you aren’t alone as many people struggle to see just how amazing they truly are!

 I personally love working with self esteem clients. It is hard work, of course, but there is something so lovely about watching people realize how amazing they are and feel better and more confident about themselves. It’s one of my favorite things to work on!

You may feel like everyone around you exudes confidence and aren’t sure why you struggle to feel good about yourself in the same way.

The truth is, most people find it difficult to actively feel good about themselves, or to even reach acceptance of what we are taught are less desirable qualities of our own personalities. Learning to accept those qualities only leads to more comfort, confidence, and living more in line with your values, will end up helping your self esteem when you may not even realize it.

Life is a lot easier if we’re not constantly worrying about how other people see us. If we feel comfortable with ourselves, what other people think of us is not necessarily a huge deal anymore. 

So, you may wonder how does one learn to become comfortable with themselves if they struggle with low self esteem?

Before we dive into improving how one sees themselves, it’s important to understand what it means and the impact it has on your life. Self esteem is characterized as one’s confidence in their own worth, values, abilities and what they have to offer to the world.

It’s important to realize that self esteem impacts your relationships with others, your decision making skills, your overall well-being and how you perceive the world. Feeling good about yourself and what you have to offer is also important for your psychological well-being.

So, how does one improve their self esteem if it’s something they’ve struggled with for quite some time?

I’m here to help you discover just that and my hope is that this blog will also shed some light on just how truly amazing you are!

 Keep reading for 5 tips on how to improve your self esteem and self confidence. 

5 Tips to improve your self esteem

1) Write a list of the things you like about yourself

 Sometimes, if our self esteem or confidence is low, this can be difficult. Try to get to five things – whether physical things or bits of your personality – and then you can ask your loved ones if they want to add to your list. Sometimes hearing things that people love about you will make you pay more attention to that part of yourself so you can appreciate it more too!

Each week continue to build on your list and over time take a look back on your entries to see all of the wonderful qualities you have that you may not have noticed before.

2) Write a list of accomplishments

There are typically areas where we feel less competent than others. Keeping a list of previous accomplishments can help counter that feeling, as well as remembering that asking for help is a sign of willingness to grow, rather than failing.

As you continue to pay closer attention to your accomplishments you may be reminded of just how much you have achieved which can help improve your self-worth!

3) Focus on the positives

Not only the positives in yourself or what you’ve done, but in situations as well. If you are able to maintain a more positive outlook in general, it is easier to focus on the positive in yourself as well and not get bogged down if things don’t go perfectly. Training your mind to seek the positives can be difficult but actively practicing this will make a large impact on how you perceive not only yourself but the world around you.

4) Self Care

When we are able to set aside time to take care of ourselves and do the things we enjoy, we do not get weighed down with all the negativity that may be around us. Self care in general makes us feel less anxious and stressed, which may help us recognize the positives about ourselves more easily.

Take the time to read a book, exercise, go to the spa…whatever it is that you enjoy doing. 15 minutes a day devoted to caring for yourself is a good starting point and can truly make a difference!

5) Recognize that any flaws you have only make up a part of a whole

You are a complete person, which means that you have both positive and negative qualities. Most people are not inherently malicious or evil, so most likely those positives outweigh the negatives anyway! Accepting that the whole of who you are is most likely desirable and enjoyable will help with your confidence. 

So, now that we’ve identified 5 tips on how to improve your self-esteem, I encourage you to practice each of these and take note of any changes you see within yourself. There is no order in which to practice using these tips as long as you take note as to which seems to help you on your journey toward fully loving yourself and everything you have to offer to this world!

If you find yourself having a hard time improving your self esteem and notice it affecting your relationship with others, you do not have to go at it alone. Solid Foundations can help! Learn more at solidfoundationstherapy.com or give us a call at 630-633-8532 today!