Self-esteem is the way we see ourselves and value everything we do and engage in. It is a psychological state, which affects our lives on many levels. Our self-esteem is a product of experience, upbringing, cultural norms, beliefs, and confidence. This is what often determines the quality of life. Today I want to encourage you to read a little more advice on how to build your self-esteem.
What it Is ?
This article should begin with a quote from Dr. Nathaniel Branden, who has over four decades of experience in lecturing on self-esteem. He said:
“Self-esteem is the disposition to experience oneself as being competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and of being worthy of happiness. It is confidence in the efficacy of our mind, in our ability to think. By extension, it is confidence in our ability to learn, make appropriate choices and decisions, and respond effectively to change. It is also the experience that success, achievement, fulfillment – happiness – are right and natural for us. The survival-value of such confidence is obvious; so is the danger when it is missing.”
In other words, self-esteem is all about the SELF. Experiencing and developing the way you see yourself is sure to bring satisfaction and safety to your lives. It is worth creating a tool that will assist you in a rewarding life, rather than patching up deficits.
In the meantime, you should establish or improve a strong and sufficient self-image. Exploring your resources and boosting them brings far more satisfying outcomes than searching for “defects to be repaired”.
Self-esteem is not about jumping to extreme and uncritical self-love but more about getting to know ourselves https://www.verywellmind.com/, while gaining trust and respect for who we are. Without unnecessary modesty but also not being overly uncritical.
The way we think about ourselves affects so many aspects of life. For example, our family, work, relationships, friends, and all activities we undertake. Therefore, thinking about strengthening our self-esteem seems like the best idea to improve our lives through the mentioned aspects. Let it result from a reliable assessment of experiences, not the opinions of other people.
How You Can Build Your Self-Esteem
Dr. Nathaniel Branden examines the six practices he thinks are essential when working on and developing healthy self esteem. These include:
- Living consciously
- Self-acceptance
- Purposefulness
- Self-assertiveness
- Self-responsibility
Why is it so important to focus on all six elements that create well-outlined self-esteem? Thanks to them you can encourage yourself to develop a new level of psychological acceptance. Yet, on the very basis of building that self-oriented nature there should be a little more knowledge.
Quite often people with low self-esteem have little knowledge about themselves. They might even know more about other people, providing their family and friends with guidance, while struggling with their own lives.
The best way to discover yourself is by asking yourself a few useful questions. It is a good idea to answer them on paper, which can be then used for further analysis. The questions are:
- Who am I?
- What do I like and enjoy?
- What makes me happy?
- When do I feel comfortable and relaxed?
- What are my dreams?
- What is important to me?
- Who can I turn to when in need?
A review of these few simple pieces of information can create a wonderful basis to take the next step and start developing your self-esteem.
Remember that you are not alone in the process. You can always use a helping hand from a professional psychologist who will provide the perfect solutions to find and build your self-esteem.