Achieving high self-esteem is not an easy task.
The best way to accomplish this goal starts with making different decisions. It sounds simple, but it’s true.
Our self-esteem is made up of a series of beliefs we have about ourselves and our worthiness. When those beliefs are positive, our self-esteem is high; when they’re negative, that esteem suffers.
So, would you like to boost your confidence level and start enjoying life more?
I’ve curated 10 tips that will reveal how you can enhance your feelings about yourself and most importantly, how to improve self-esteem.
Understanding Self-esteem
To understand the importance of your self-esteem, you must first understand what self-esteem is.
Self-esteem is a measure of a person’s worth, value, strength, dignity, competence, and capability. So without self-esteem — specifically a high one — it is difficult to succeed in life.
What Causes Low Self-esteem?
The causes of low self-esteem can often be traced to past trauma. It may be triggered by a comment someone made that falsely led you to believe that you “aren’t good enough.”
Those unkind comments might have come from someone you highly respected. The worst part is when those comments come from your own family members.
Some people are very good at undermining others because they lack confidence in themselves. This is why it is imperative to surround yourself with friends and family who support you and boost your self-esteem.
A person with low self-esteem may believe they are not as smart, talented, capable, good-looking, or hardworking as other people.
Some might have been told these things when they were growing up and started believing them.
Others may have experienced an embarrassing event that caused them to lose confidence in themselves. Still, some may experience depression and other mental health problems that affect their thoughts.
Low self-esteem can become a mental habit simply by being constantly negative about yourself.
You train your mind with your thoughts, and when you think that you aren’t worthy or deserving of respect, you will become what you think.
Negative thinking creates a more negative state of mind, which in turn creates even more negative thoughts. Thus continuing the cycle of negativity, poor self-image, and low self-esteem.
How Can I Boost My Self-esteem?
To improve your sense of well-being, it is important to understand what factors affect your self-esteem.
The Main Factors That Affect Self-esteem Are:
- Your level of self-acceptance and self-love
- How you treat yourself
- What you read and watch
- The way you talk to yourself
- How you take criticism
By improving these factors, you can increase your sense of self-worth and improve your self-esteem.
Ten Ways to Improve Self-esteem
1. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone!
You must get out of your comfort zone if you want to boost self-esteem!
In a state of comfort, your body, mind, and spirit are relaxed. But the problem is this state of being limits your chances to increase your knowledge and expand your boundaries.
By expanding your horizons and stepping outside of your comfort zone, you’re able to see your fears with clarity, tackle and overcome them.
2. Change Negative Thoughts to Positive Ones
Many people are guilty of using negative self-talk, and it’s not very helpful!
When you focus on your weaknesses, it makes you think that there is something wrong with you.
Let me be the one to remind you today. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you! I’ll repeat this in case you are still skeptical.
THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU!
Transform your negative thoughts into positive ones every day or every time they make you feel unworthy.
Doing this will transform your low self-esteem into high self-esteem.
It all starts with your thoughts.
3. Ask Positive Questions
Asking positive questions when speaking to yourself promotes empathy and deepens self-understanding.
Here are some examples:
“Why am I really awesome?”
“Why can I do anything I set my mind to?”
“Why am I so beautiful inside and out?”
Asking a positive question will be a great way to help you boost your self-esteem because it forces you to find the reasons why you’re awesome.
When you’re feeling your lowest, take a look in the mirror or write in your journal and answer those questions. Then, you’ll understand why you’re worthy of the best life has to offer.
4. Volunteer to Help Others
According to Harvard Health, volunteering reduces stress and improves a person’s self-esteem when done for the right reasons.
It helps you increase your self-esteem in the areas of social engagement and relationships, and it teaches you empathy which is another key factor.
Spend some time helping a stranger or someone close to you. However, remember to do it to genuinely help that person instead of giving yourself a pat on the back for helping someone out.
5. Spend Time With Friends and Family
There’s nothing like a meaningful connection to boost self-esteem.
Spend more time with friends or family members that you genuinely enjoy being around. It will make an overall difference in your well-being!
Even if you’re a loner like myself, you need genuine people in your life. So, find them and keep them close.
6. Exercise Daily or at Least Three Times a Week
Exercise releases happy endorphins, which bring a sense of joy and optimism. It also makes you feel more confident.
If exercising isn’t your thing, try walking at least three times a week.
Walking is one of the best exercises you can do, so put on those walking shoes and get moving.
7. Eat Healthy Foods
Food is fuel!
Eat foods that fuel you with proper nutrients to help your body run well and boost your energy. It will make you feel happier, which will lead to high self-esteem.
Target the foods that are rich in vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, fatty acids, and minerals.
Avoid comfort food like ice cream and candy. Instead, try fruits and vegetables, they’ll make your body feel better.
8. Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is essential!
Your body needs an adequate amount of rest to function properly and give your mind the rejuvenation it needs.
If you’re having trouble sleeping, try sleeping in complete darkness. If that’s not possible, consider using an eye mask to block the light from your eyes and changing the light bulbs in your bedroom to a red light bulb.
Red light has been proven to increase restful sleep; read more about it here.
9. Practice Gratitude for What You Have
It’s easy to forget what you have when you’re focused on what you don’t have.
I recommend writing down a list of 3 things you’re grateful for every day to remind yourself to be grateful for what you have.
Appreciate the little things that make you happy.
10. Start a New Hobby
Hobbies are a great way to build self-esteem because they allow you to achieve the feeling of accomplishment.
The great thing about hobbies is that you can do them anytime and anywhere.
In fact, a hobby should be the highlight of your day.
Feeling empowered by your interests energizes your self-power, self-respect, and enhances your self-admiration.
I recommend finding a hobby that you can share with others, like art or dance. But if you’re a private person, find something that works for you!
If you’re struggling to find a hobby, start by trying something new. Experiment constantly because you never know what you’ll like if you don’t try it.
How to Apply These Tips in Life
If you’re having trouble applying these tips to your life or if you find yourself struggling, here are a few questions that might help you apply the self-esteem boosting techniques above in real life.
Ask yourself:
- What prevents me from smiling at others?
- What is preventing me from being social with others?
- Am I being 100% myself when interacting with other people, or am I too concerned about them liking me so I act overly cautious and reserved?
- What prevents me from being happy with my life and where it is at now?
Pro tip: Start by making small changes. They help instigate and solidify habits that have a greater positive impact on your life with tremendous efficiency.
Accept Yourself
If you’re not happy with your life, it’s time to start being mindful of the factors that affect your self-esteem.
It’s hard to be confident when you don’t feel good about yourself.
From practicing gratitude for what you have and starting a new hobby to eating healthy foods or getting enough sleep, there are many ways you can boost your confidence and feel better about yourself.
The tips I provided will help boost your confidence but remember that it takes time. Work on improving one thing at a time until it becomes a habit, and eventually, all these tips will lead to an overall improvement in how you view yourself!
Nothing happens overnight, so ask yourself this, what small steps are you taking to make yourself happier?
Feel free to share any tips I might not have included in the comment section below.
