Do you think low self-esteem is impacting your life? In the movie “I Feel Pretty”, the main character views herself as ugly and fat, but when she hits her head one day, she started seeing herself as beautiful and thin. This gave her the confidence to explore, become ambitious and be adventurous. Her self-esteem boasts her strengths, like being funny and smart. The power of how you view yourself can impact your entire life. This is a classic example of how low self-esteem can hinder your success and make you feel less worthy than you are.
Low self-esteem means:
- You don’t like yourself or certain aspects of yourself and you use that as an excuse
- You feel like you are not worthy or good enough
- You don’t believe in yourself and that you can accomplish things
- You think everyone dislikes you and that you don’t deserve happiness
- You always practice the self-blame game and guilt trip yourself constantly
- You are unable to make decision because you feel stupid
- You hardly have any confidence
Here are ways to improve your self-esteem:
- Find the silver lining in everything you deem negative about yourself. Look hard and you will see it. If you don’t like what you are seeing, change it.
- Avoid putting yourself down and talking negative about yourself. When repeated enough, your brain will start believing it.
- Practice proper self-care – Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Don’t indulge in alcohol or drugs because you think it gives you self-confidence. This brings a totally new set of problems. Get enough sleep, enough exercise and eat healthy.
- Stop comparing yourself to others. Albert Einstein said, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” View yourself as an individual and recognize your differences as strengths.
- Practice forgiveness whether it is yourself or someone who said or did something to impact your self-esteem. You can’t improve yourself if you haven’t let go of what is hindering you to move forward.
The way we think and feel about ourselves has a direct impact on our health. Having a low self-esteem for prolonged periods of time can lead to mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, thus it is imperative that we take care of our mental wellbeing.
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”- Maria Robinson
Attend our course on Confidence and Assertiveness and learn various strategies, receive tips and tools and get the insights on how to increase your self-esteem, both personally and at work.