Practical Ways to Build Your Self-Esteem

Your self-esteem emphasizes confidence in your values and abilities, making it worth nurturing. Not only does it give you a sense of purpose, but you can also be yourself without apology. Besides, you can make sound decisions and nurture good relationships while achieving your goals. What’s more, research indicates that people with higher self-esteem are happier and more satisfied with their lives.

Despite its numerous benefits, many people still struggle with their self-esteem. An NBC survey reveals that 85% of Americans have low confidence levels, reiterating its prevalence. Besides, it triggers anxiety, depression, and drug abuse risks while impairing your productivity. Fortunately, you can improve your confidence and lead a happier life. That said, here are some practical ways to build your self-esteem.

Identify and manage your triggers

According to Psychologist Suzanne Lachmann, low self-esteem has an origin that should be tackled to improve your life’s quality. Not only does it help you heal faster, but it also keeps your mental health in check. Triggers can be memories or experiences that evoke an intense reaction, including bullying, harsh criticisms, rejection, betrayal, or failure, among others. However, identifying and managing them is an essential step towards increasing your self-worth.

You may observe and consider signs like sweaty palms or pounding heart when you remember or experience something. By all means, understand these reactions instead of fighting them, and own your feelings. It’s also prudent to assure yourself that nothing is your fault and get rid of any guilt. By doing these, you’ll quickly notice any triggers and handle them appropriately.

Refuse harmful or inaccurate thinking

Your inner thoughts can be your powerful stepping stone or your biggest demotivation, depending on how you utilize them. If you persistently think about your failures, blame, shame, and belittle yourself, then you are significantly damaging your self-esteem. What’s more, these crippling thoughts can discourage you and increase your anxiety and depression levels. Moreover, a University College London study revealed that people with persistent negative thoughts are more likely to experience cognitive decline and dementia. It’s therefore prudent to lay off these damaging thoughts and build positive ones.

Fortunately, you can adopt specific strategies to improve your thinking. For instance, you shouldn’t ruminate over past mistakes but instead, view them as opportunities to be better. Although you may experience some negative thoughts periodically, it’s best not to dwell on them for long to avoid demeaning yourself. You can also monitor your thinking patterns and practice mindfulness to connect to your positive thoughts and feelings. Yoga has proven to be effective against negativity, so you may leverage this helpful exercise. By all means, avoid dwelling on your negative traits and focus on your unique features.

Build positive relationships and avoid toxic ones

Research by Dr. Michelle A. Harris and associates indicated that people with positive social relationships and support tend to have higher self-esteem and vice versa. Besides, good friends and family act as a buffer against overwhelming experiences and encourage personal growth and development. What’s more, they give you pleasure and joy, while improving your life’s quality. Toxic people, on the other hand, drain you of happiness and purpose. They may also manipulate you to act against your will, leaving you demoralized and worthless. Therefore, it’s advisable to keep good people around you and avoid toxic ones.

Although the world moves at a fast pace, it’s best to create time for your friends and family. For instance, you may organize a weekly or monthly get-together to have fun and uplift each other. You may also schedule regular phone calls if you can’t meet up physically. It’s prudent to be honest about your struggles, as they can help you see your value. You can also say no to manipulating friends and call them out on their behavior. Feel free to end your friendship if they refuse to change their demeaning attitude towards you.

Practice self-compassion

The truth is, no one will love you more than you, making it imperative you give yourself some TLC. Besides, loving yourself increases your happiness levels and motivates you to achieve more incredible things. Moreover, it helps you to recover from significant setbacks while triggering your growth mindset quickly. It also reduces your mental health risks while enhancing your physical, emotional, and mental well-being. You also get to avoid unhealthy comparisons and appreciate your strengths. Therefore, you may take steps to treat yourself right.

For starters, you may focus on improving your overall health. It’s prudent to eat healthy meals with essential vitamins and take healthy beverages. By all means, stay hydrated and exercise at least three times weekly to keep your body fit. It’s also essential to work on your appearance to look more attractive. For instance, you can use treatments like the

Duac Gel to improve your facial features and purchase a new outfit to flatter your figure. Feel free to take a vacation when you feel stressed, and refuse to overwork yourself. By all means, learn to live in the present and be grateful for its pleasures.

Overcome your fear of failure

People with low self-esteem often avoid taking on challenges because they doubt their ability to succeed. They fear failure and will often make excuses or play the blame game to avoid trying altogether. However, this can cause you to lose life-changing opportunities and keep you stagnant. Besides, you can develop harmful habits like self-sabotage which will leave you dissatisfied and worsen your self-esteem. It’s therefore imperative to overcome your fears and tackle new challenges.

Although it might be challenging, you can take gradual steps to overcome your fear of failure. For instance, you may set a few small goals to keep you focused on upcoming tasks and visualize yourself succeeding. Again, you should leverage positive thinking to keep you calm when you face some setbacks. Perhaps, you can create a contingency plan to boost your confidence if you are afraid of failing. The goal is to become better in your endeavors, so you need to learn from every failure you experience and improve yourself.

Be kind to others

Kindness offers numerous benefits, including decreased anxiety and increased lifespan. However, various studies revealed that people who practice kindness have higher self-esteem than those who don’t. Besides, putting a smile on someone’s face can make you fulfilled and happy. What’s more, you get to focus on positive things and build positive relationships. Therefore, you can improve your self-confidence by helping someone out.

However, you should draw the line between kindness and being a pushover. Admittedly, some people would want to abuse your kindness, making it imperative to stand your ground. For instance, you may learn to say no if you can’t do something and don’t let anyone make you feel guilty for it. But, it’s prudent to help your elderly neighbor with their chores or a stranger struggling to carry their groceries. Perhaps you can volunteer in your community’s environmental sanitation or donate to a charitable cause. Fortunately, you don’t have to break the bank to be kind; sometimes, the smallest gestures touch people’s hearts.

Celebrate your achievements

According to the Dalai Lama, celebrating your achievements builds your confidence and improves your self-esteem. What’s more, it motivates you to accomplish more goals and add to your successes. Therefore, it’s prudent to reward yourself each time you accomplish something. You don’t have to wait for a massive win before you appreciate yourself. If you finish your tasks on time, treat yourself to a nice meal. These little acts will help improve your self-perception.

This is a collaborative post.

Melinda