Building SELF- ESTEEM to Feel More Confident
When we think of self-esteem it is often defined by how much a person feels about their overall sense of worth or personal value. However, many struggle with low self-esteem which not only gets in the way of living a healthy and confident life, but can also lead to negative thoughts, anxiety, and depression. If this sounds like you, don't worry, you're not alone!
In this article we'll explore a few ways on how you can boost your self-esteem and feel more confident in yourself.
Prioritising Self-Care Practises
By now you’re probably well aware of the concept of self-care, but how often are you practicing it? When you start to take care of yourself, you send a message to your brain that you value your needs and your well-being.
This, in turn, boosts your self-esteem and helps you feel more confident within. If the idea of practising self-care is new to you, start by incorporating small practices into your daily routine.
For example, swap the late night social media scroll for a candle-lit read from a chapter of your book before bed, meditate for a few minutes in the morning, add honey and lemon to your bath. These things are so simple but by doing this, you'll be investing in yourself and your well-being.
Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses
One of the best ways to boost your self-esteem is to identify your strengths and weaknesses. It’s so easy to focus on what’s going wrong in our lives we tend to forget the qualities we do have to use to our advantage.
Make a list of your strengths, such as your talents and achievements, think about what you’re good at, what have people complimented you on, it might be your writing ability, your cooking skills, the way you do your makeup, your compassionate nature or your sense of humour.
Then, make a list of your weaknesses, these are the areas you feel you could use some improvement. Once you've identified your strengths, focus on them and use them to your advantage.
For instance, if you're great at doing makeup, you could start a community on social media which talks about makeup products, you could write a blog advising people on the best makeup to buy for certain skin tones and types.
Doing this will give you an opportunity to express what you’re good at and feel more confident about yourself. When it comes to your weaknesses, think of them as opportunities to learn and grow, work on them in small chunks. Accepting your weaknesses and working them will boost your self-esteem and feel more confident in yourself.
Surround Yourself with Confident People
If you're around negative people who bring you down, it can be hard to feel good about yourself let alone confident.
Forget the influencers of social media, the people you surround yourself with in real life will have the biggest influence and impact on your self-esteem and your life.
On the other hand, if you surround yourself with positive people who uplift and support you, it can do wonders for your self-esteem. Seek out people who make you feel good about yourself and who encourage and motivate you to be your best self. You can find positive people in your workplace, your community, or even online. Join a group or community that aligns with your interests and values, and make an effort to connect with like-minded individuals.
Challenge Negative Thoughts
Negative thoughts are a major obstacle when wanting to boost your self-esteem. These thoughts can be self-critical, judgmental, or even irrational.
But remember, thoughts are not facts.
You might think, "I'm not good enough," "I'll never succeed," or "No one likes me." These thoughts can be harmful and prevent you from seeing the positive aspects of yourself and your life. To challenge your negative thoughts, start by identifying them. When you have a negative thought, ask yourself if it's true, and then ask if there's evidence to support it. Often, negative thoughts are based on assumptions or past experiences that don't reflect your current reality. Dig deep into where this negative thought came from, it could have been something someone said which in that case is a perception of theirs and should certainly not hold any power over you. When you have challenged your negative thoughts, start replacing them with positive ones.
Make a Promise To Yourself - and Keep It
When you set and achieve goals, you prove to yourself that you're capable and competent. And although I am the ambassador of ‘dreaming big’ it's essential to set goals that feel realistic and achievable. Setting goals which feel hard to believe in might end up leading to a place of feeling disappointed and discouraged. Instead, break your goals down into smaller, more manageable steps, and celebrate small wins along the way. This helps you to feel as though you can easily achieve what it is you set out to do and consequently boost your self-esteem and feel more confident about your abilities.
Final thoughts
Boosting your self-esteem is a journey, one that doesn’t happen overnight. But, by identifying your strengths and weaknesses, practicing self-care, surrounding yourself with positive people, challenging your negative thoughts, and setting realistic goals, you can begin to take steps towards feeling more confident and positive about yourself. Remember, you're unique and valuable individual who you deserves to feel good about yourself. Start implementing these tips today, and watch as your self-esteem begins to soar.
