How you see yourself has the power to shape your life, since everything you do, say and think is a reflection of the same. When your self-esteem or self-worth is high, you feel resilient, powerful and confident. This makes you less vulnerable to anxiety and hopelessness caused by failures, challenges and uncertainties.
Your self-esteem can impact every aspect of your life—your job, relationships and even your mental and physical health. People with positive and healthy self-esteem believe in their potential and are motivated to take on new challenges. They have realistic and appropriate expectations of themselves and their abilities.
On the other hand, those with low self-esteem feel unsure of their abilities and may even doubt their decision-making capabilities. They lack motivation because they don’t feel that they are capable of fulfilling their goals. They may also experience low levels of confidence and feel unworthy.
The good news is you have a fair amount of control when it comes to improving your self-esteem. You can take concrete steps to challenge your self-limiting beliefs and fears and develop a more positive relationship with yourself. Although the challenges you face in life may make you question your self-worth, it is these hurdles that will help build your character, strength and resilience. These are all crucial elements of self-esteem.
The more you challenge your self-doubt and fears, the greater the joy you will find within yourself and greater confidence in your abilities. Here are a few ways you can cultivate self-esteem and chase your dreams.
Celebrate your success
When was the last time you congratulated yourself or treated yourself to something nice because you deserved it? When in school, we received medals for our achievements. But as adults, celebrating your success is less about external validation and more about acknowledging your wins. Whether it is a promotion or exercising every day for 10 minutes, when you celebrate your wins—both big and small—you take a big step towards boosting your self-esteem.
Be kind to yourself
Do you often hold yourself responsible when bad things happen, even when the circumstances were beyond your control? If your answer is ‘yes’, it’s time to stop being so self-critical and start being kind to yourself. Self-criticism can generate a variety of feelings including shame, guilt, sadness, anger, frustration and disappointment, besides causing serious issues like depression, anxiety and eating disorders. If you are constantly finding faults with your actions or pursuits, you might be distorting your self-image, which in turn, can hurt your self-esteem. The solution lies in using self-criticism constructively to help you identify your weak spots, which you can work upon to improve yourself.
Say no when you want to
Many people find it hard to say ‘no’ to a request, an assignment or anything else they want to decline. Perhaps, you do too. This usually happens due to your fear of rejection, anger or just the uncertainty of the other person’s response. But in doing so, you overburden yourself and sacrifice making time for yourself or something important to you. This affects your peace of mind and your overall wellbeing. In his book, The Power of No: Because One Little Word Can Bring Health, Abundance, and Happiness, author James Altucher writes, “When you say ‘yes ’ to something you don’t want to do, here is the result: you hate what you are doing, you resent the person who asked you, and you hurt yourself.” Saying ‘no’ allows you to say ‘yes’ to things that matter to you and being assertive can work wonders for your self-esteem.
Boosting self-esteem involves adopting positive habits and mindsets. Start by practicing self-compassion, challenging negative self-talk, setting achievable goals, celebrating your accomplishments, and surrounding yourself with positivity.
Self-compassion involves treating yourself with kindness and understanding, just as you would treat a friend. By replacing self-criticism with self-compassion, you create a nurturing relationship with yourself, leading to a more positive self-perception and higher self-esteem.
Stopping the habit of comparing yourself to others is crucial for building a positive self-image. Start by recognizing that everyone’s journey is unique, focus on your own progress, strengths, and achievements, and practice self-compassion to boost your self-esteem.
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