Self-Esteem

Self-Esteem

Self-esteem is not about…

·         bragging

·         being perfect (nobody is!)

So what is it?

o   It is about how much we value, love, and accept ourselves

o   People can have a healthy self-esteem or an unhealthy self-esteem

o   People with healthy self-esteem are able to feel good about themselves, appreciate their own worth, and take pride in their abilities, skills, and accomplishments

o   People with low self-esteem may feel as if no one will like them or accept them or that they can't do well in anything

Self-esteem is really important

·         It is about knowing you are worth being respected and loved by the   people in your life

·         If you are one of the many people who often don’t feel good about yourself, there is good news: you can work to increase your self-esteem and feel better!!

 

Who or What Influences your Self-Esteem?

- Family

·         - Friends

·         - The media

·         - Yourself 

How do you improve your self-esteem?

·         - Hard work, dedication to yourself!

·         - We have steps from morethanmedication.ca that you can do every day, three times a day, to help improve the image, thoughts and beliefs you have about yourself

 Gain self-awareness

"Our strength grows out of our weaknesses." — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Self-esteem is not about having only strengths. It is also about embracing your weaknesses and learning how you can turn them into an opportunity to discover more about yourself. Self-awareness, then, is the first-step to making a change. 

Start by taking a life inventory — like a business would do if it were not performing well. List your assets (strengths) and your liabilities (weaknesses). Review your weaknesses and try to identify ways that you can turn them into strengths. For example, if your weakness is "I'm too shy in large groups," then work on ensuring your one-to-one relationships are the best they can be while enrolling in a public-speaking course. That way, you'll gain more confidence when in large groups but still have solid intimate relationships to enrich your life.

Silence your inner critic

Challenge your inner critic; don't just take the abuse.Do you have an inner critic who is an expert at finding faults? Are you aware of the voices inside your head? How often do you put yourself down during the day?
As you become aware of your negative self talk, you can begin to turn down the volume and replace it with constructive feedback and praise. For starters, change your reactive words to proactive ones: Replace "I can't" with "I can" or "I want to."

Check out this Dove Video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ytjTNX9cg0

Use affirmations — the right way

The process of affirming is to make firm statements using words that reinforce the positive.
While many of us make them all day long, we usually do so unconsciously or our affirmations embrace a negative connotation. (For example, "I will not stumble during my presentation".) This keeps you in a low self-esteem holding pattern.
For your daily affirmations, use short, strong positive statements in the present tense as if you have already obtained your goal. For example, "I am a great public speaker." This will help reprogram your subconscious mind and increase your sense of self.
Every night, before going to bed, think of five things for which you are grateful. This will help you turn your focus to the positive and seek opportunities for learning and growth

Accept compliments

Don't sell yourself short.
Every time you reject a compliment, you are basically saying that you do not deserve the praise.
Next time someone gives you a compliment, say, "Thank you." Get into the habit of telling yourself, "I'm accepting it." Remember, YOU ARE WORTH IT!

Check out this short video about the Self-Worth Project

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szi0fJxpwOI&feature=related

Plan for action!

You cannot develop self-esteem just wishing for it.
You must take action in order for you to move out of your comfort zone and conquer your fears. This reinforces the belief you have in yourself and, in the end, you will feel better about yourself.

All these steps listed above are techniques you can use everyday to help feel better about yourself.  It is ok to have a bad day, we all have them, how you cope with it is the most important thing.