Low Self Esteem â€" 6 Steps You Can Use to Defeat It
1. Give Yourself Credit for Where You Are Right Now.
OK, so you're not where you want to be.
Yet.
But you're not where you were either, or else you wouldn't even be reading this. So even if you haven't moved very far down your chosen path, at least give yourself credit for the desire to improve, and for having taken the action to seek out information to help you on your way (this article, for instance.)
2. Give Yourself Time to Change.
Too often we don't give ourselves credit for the progress we've made, thinking that because we're not yet further down the road, or even at the end of the journey where we want to end up, we've failed.
Give yourself time. You can't get from here to there without traveling the distance in between. So even if you've just taken your first (or your thousandth) baby step and fallen down (again) give yourself the time to grow and change. Babies do!
The fact is, none of us ever gets it done. Looking at someone else's life from the outside, we may think to ourselves that they have it all together, but they're on a journey also. To be alive is to grow and change, and we continue to grow and change and improve until we're through with our time on earth.
3. Never criticize yourself.
Criticism literally sucks the life out of your spirit.
"But I messed up. Again."
Fact: you did the best you could at the time. How do I know? Because if you could have done better, you would have done it.
It's OK to notice where you could do better next time. But criticism is destructive. Noticing where there is room for improvement is constructive.
4. Always compliment and encourage yourself.
Find something good to say about yourself. Congratulate yourself for making an effort.
Even if you have to really stretch it, find something good to say to yourself about yourself every day. Repeat it, and encourage yourself. Later, if you want, you could say to yourself, "I think I could change something next time. Maybe I could adjust this or that."
And if there's something that you think you really do well, don't miss a chance to compliment yourself. It's not vain or egotistical. It's feeding your spirit. If your spirit is starving, it'll look to be fed in the wrong places. Lovingly nourish it yourself. Often.
If you look for opportunities to complement yourself, you'll find them. And you'll get better and better at it the more you do it.
5. Be thankful for everything.
It's hard to feel good about yourself if everything around you sucks. But remember that life is only 10% what happens to you, and 90% what you do with it.
You always have a choice. Wallowing in misery isn't going to make things any better. Instead, think of some way to be thankful for even a difficult or painful situation. Find just one thing. It can be done. Odds are before long you'll be able to find another. Then another.
Finding things to be grateful for in any situation is a game that makes you feel like a winner. It stops you feeling like a powerless victim. The one thing no one and no circumstance can ever take from you is the power to decide for yourself what you're going to think. You don't have to like a situation in order to be grateful for it. And there's always something in your life that you can find to be grateful for if you commit to doing so.
6. Treat your body with respect.
Dress your body with care and loving respect. Wear clothes that make you feel good, that say to the world - and yourself - that you are a person of worth.
Moderate regular exercise and eating healthy foods in moderate amounts - this is not just good physical health advice, it will actually affect your mood, and as you begin to be healthier, you will naturally begin to feel better about yourself.
OK, so you're not where you want to be.
Yet.
But you're not where you were either, or else you wouldn't even be reading this. So even if you haven't moved very far down your chosen path, at least give yourself credit for the desire to improve, and for having taken the action to seek out information to help you on your way (this article, for instance.)
2. Give Yourself Time to Change.
Too often we don't give ourselves credit for the progress we've made, thinking that because we're not yet further down the road, or even at the end of the journey where we want to end up, we've failed.
Give yourself time. You can't get from here to there without traveling the distance in between. So even if you've just taken your first (or your thousandth) baby step and fallen down (again) give yourself the time to grow and change. Babies do!
The fact is, none of us ever gets it done. Looking at someone else's life from the outside, we may think to ourselves that they have it all together, but they're on a journey also. To be alive is to grow and change, and we continue to grow and change and improve until we're through with our time on earth.
3. Never criticize yourself.
Criticism literally sucks the life out of your spirit.
"But I messed up. Again."
Fact: you did the best you could at the time. How do I know? Because if you could have done better, you would have done it.
It's OK to notice where you could do better next time. But criticism is destructive. Noticing where there is room for improvement is constructive.
4. Always compliment and encourage yourself.
Find something good to say about yourself. Congratulate yourself for making an effort.
Even if you have to really stretch it, find something good to say to yourself about yourself every day. Repeat it, and encourage yourself. Later, if you want, you could say to yourself, "I think I could change something next time. Maybe I could adjust this or that."
And if there's something that you think you really do well, don't miss a chance to compliment yourself. It's not vain or egotistical. It's feeding your spirit. If your spirit is starving, it'll look to be fed in the wrong places. Lovingly nourish it yourself. Often.
If you look for opportunities to complement yourself, you'll find them. And you'll get better and better at it the more you do it.
5. Be thankful for everything.
It's hard to feel good about yourself if everything around you sucks. But remember that life is only 10% what happens to you, and 90% what you do with it.
You always have a choice. Wallowing in misery isn't going to make things any better. Instead, think of some way to be thankful for even a difficult or painful situation. Find just one thing. It can be done. Odds are before long you'll be able to find another. Then another.
Finding things to be grateful for in any situation is a game that makes you feel like a winner. It stops you feeling like a powerless victim. The one thing no one and no circumstance can ever take from you is the power to decide for yourself what you're going to think. You don't have to like a situation in order to be grateful for it. And there's always something in your life that you can find to be grateful for if you commit to doing so.
6. Treat your body with respect.
Dress your body with care and loving respect. Wear clothes that make you feel good, that say to the world - and yourself - that you are a person of worth.
Moderate regular exercise and eating healthy foods in moderate amounts - this is not just good physical health advice, it will actually affect your mood, and as you begin to be healthier, you will naturally begin to feel better about yourself.
