Experiencing low self-esteem can act as a hindrance to personal progress. Self-esteem plays a vital role in your overall well-being, how we value or perceive ourselves and our sense of success.
The good news is that there are numerous strategies available to boost your self-esteem. While enhancing self-esteem might seem difficult there are numerous self-management techniques that can prove helpful.
To explore effective ways to improve your self-esteem, consider the tips we’ve compiled below.
- Pay attention to self-care
the practice of consciously doing things that preserve or improve your mental, emotional or physical health.
Anything that makes you happy and positively impacts your mental, emotional or physical health can be considered self-care. From reading, cooking, getting a haircut or deep cleaning your bedroom, make sure to invest in your own health and happiness. The results could be amazing.
- Exercise
Exercise regularly to release endorphins and ‘happiness hormones’ like dopamine and serotonin. Exercise is a great way to increase motivation, practise setting goals and build self confidence.
Physical activity has a huge potential to enhance our well-being. Even a short burst of 10 minutes of brisk walking increases our mental alertness, energy and positive mood.
There are endless types of exercise, like swimming, running, yoga or even karate. If you can find the perfect routine for yourself this can drastically improve your self-esteem.
- Positive self-affirmations
Positive affirmations can reprogramme your subconscious, helping with stress, controlling self-sabotaging thoughts and reducing anxiety.
Some people like to do this in front of a mirror. It can feel strange at first, but you will start to feel more comfortable the more you do it.
It can be challenging, even awkward, to sit down and think about our admirable traits. But acknowledging your skills or things you like about yourself can improve your self-worth.
Try keeping a journal of things you’ve done that you enjoyed or admired. Gratitude journals also work wonders for improving your outlook on life and recognizing what you have to be thankful for.
- Try not to compare yourself to others
It’s not easy to stop comparing yourself to others. It might help to limit how much time you spend on social media or with online communities. Learn to compare yourself with yourself inasmuch as getting a little bit better each day.
If you do scroll, remind yourself that people only share the best, most flattering parts of their life online. Don’t let likes on a photo dictate your self-worth. Practise an occasional digital detox to reduce your exposure.
Appreciate that we all have our differences while remembering that you’re not in competition with anyone else’s progress, just focus on yourself.
- Set realistic goals for yourself and check in with your progress regularly
Setting realistic goals for yourself will allow you to reach milestones in your life that will help you to feel more confident and inspired.
When we reach goals, we are able to truly believe in ourselves which in turn helps us to boost our self-esteem.
No matter how small they may seem, take time to praise yourself for completing a task. For example, this could be getting outside for a walk or doing some tidying.
- Build a support network
Having a support network of people who you can talk to can significantly help you debunk some of the negative thoughts you may be experiencing.
Focus on positive relationships. It might feel difficult to control who you spend time with but where possible try and spend more time with people who make you feel good about yourself.
Think about what your boundaries are in your personal and professional life. To have higher self-esteem, you need to understand what your boundaries look like and how they align with your values.
- Try therapy
Therapists can confront cognitive distortions, emphasise strengths over weaknesses, and develop specific skills to handle criticism and making mistakes.
Changing harmful thinking patterns in the situations they arise can boost self-confidence and self-worth.
Talking therapies and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can help you find ways to cope with experiences that affect how you feel about yourself. If you feel this is the right option for you, you can visit Healthy Mind Coaching for mental health and wellbeing support.
- Stop being a people pleaser- learn to say no
Learning to say no can boost your self-confidence while setting boundaries and rules in any relationship. You can learn to say no by showing a positive attitude and kind words. Learning to say no is a gesture of self-care and respect toward yourself.
Being assertive can be difficult if you’re not used to it but agreeing to too many things to please others can be draining. It could help to pause, take a breath and think about how you feel before agreeing to do something you don’t really want to do.
Learn more about Healthy Mind Coaching and Training by calling Sam today on 07906 869616 or email: [email protected]
