Good self-esteem helps us tide through challenges in life, and allows us to enjoy life on good days. If you are feeling less confident than usual, here are a few ways to boost your self-esteem.
1) Make a list of your strengths and embrace them. These can include skills, experiences, talent or anything you have that makes you feel more confident about yourself. You can also include compliments given by others about you. Reminding yourself about your strengths is a good way to increase confidence.
2) Accept that you have flaws, and are not perfect. Don’t let one flaw prevent you from recognising that you are a complex, desirable package. Remind yourself this by posting a picture of yourself with a big smile on your mirror. Think of the positive strengths you have whenever you see the picture.
3) Trust your competence. Remind yourself of adversity you had conquered in the past. Trust that you will have the skills, or knowledge to get help when you face a challenge. You can also prove your capability to yourself by undertaking a new challenge. Take note of successes, no matter how small and remember to give yourself credit where credit is due.
4) Believe in your self-worth. This means giving priority to yourself sometimes. Allow yourself to say no to others, even if it requires you to tolerate having to disappoint others. Ask for things that you want, or find a way to make it happen for yourself.
5) Think of a recent experience where things did not go as you planned. You may not have met your expectations or made a mistake. Despite these setbacks, think of five things that went as planned. We are defined by an accumulation of experiences, not by just one mistake.
6) Look in a full-size mirror and name five things that make you feel confident. These can be - 1) Physical attributes, for example, your eyes, hair, and smile. 2) Your style, for example, your posture and make-up. 3) Your internal attributes, for example, your compassion and energy. If you’re having difficulties with this, ask someone close to you to name them. Do this daily for a week.
Category(s):Self-Confidence, Self-Esteem
Source material from Psychology Today
