Feeling bad about yourself and lack of confidence shows, you lack self-esteem. People with low self-esteem feel awkward, incompetent, unlovable and are hypersensitive. The fragile sense of self in these people gets easily wounded. In addition, such people are hyper-vigilant to inadequacy and rebuff. They may see disapproval and rejection even if not present. As a result, such people have poor judgement and often make mistakes that expose them to behave immorally and leads to embarrassment.
What is Self-esteem?
Self-esteem is defined as the opinion people have about oneself. In simple words, it is how much you like or appreciate yourself. It is a term used to describe the personal value and all-over sense of self-worth.
Self-esteem plays a vital role in motivating you throughout life to achieve success. Healthy self-esteem helps you to navigate life with an assertive attitude, and firmly believe that you can accomplish the goals.
On the other hand, if you doubt your abilities and have a poor self-image, it affects your career and relationships. Low self-esteem holds you back from success. Such people struggles with negative thoughts and become self-critical that make them feel worthless and holds them from going after things they want in their life. Failure is callous for such people. In the areas where they feel defeated (personal professional or academic), they show poor performance and stops trying.
What Are the Signs of Low Self-esteem
The signs of low self-esteem are:
- Social withdrawal
- Sensitivity to criticism
- Preoccupied with their personal problems
- Hostility
- Putting a false front to impress others
- Such people also show physical signs such as insomnia, headaches and fatigue.
The good thing is that self-esteem can be lifted. However, it takes practice and time to develop appreciation, unconditional love and respect for oneself.
How to Improve Self-esteem
It is essential to take steps to improve self-esteem, or you will be easily caught into the cycle of negative thinking that damages self-belief. To break this vicious cycle, practice the steps discussed below:
Ways to Improve Self-esteem
- Heal up your Past – We all have been in some emotional pain in the past. Nevertheless, the most important is not ruminate endlessly about that has happened and cannot change. Neither blaming others for painful experiences works. The one who holds the past hurts relives the pain repeatedly and is trapped in low-esteem. If you want to move forward in your life, stop dwelling in the past. This will help you to move confidently on to the future. Let go of the past, forgive yourself and other people’s bad behaviour and focus on the present.
- Stop Worrying About What People Think of You – You will never be ultimately yourself if you will keep on worrying what others think about you. You will have to make a firm decision that your choices will depend on what you want in your life and not what others want from you. Make one thing very clear that you cannot oblige every person. Some people will hate you and others for sure will found similarities and goodness that will attract them towards you.
- Watch Your Company – Let go people in your life who always puts you down, have nothing positive to say and take advantage of you. When you surround yourself with positive and supportive people who value and admire you, you find your self-esteem.
- Do something Creative and Master your Skills – Creative task stimulates your brain and brings your life back into the flow. Join a dance class or write a poem or story. Add up the challenge and try something new such as learn a new language or guitar. Master a skill that corresponds to your interest and talent to increase the sense of competency.
- Help Someone – When we use our abilities, skills and talent to help others, it stimulates the secretion of happy hormones and boosts up the mood. You can teach someone a skill or share helpful resources. Present something to someone, or give direct physical assistance to needy. Offering help makes you feel good about yourself and lifts self-esteem and self-worth.
- Acknowledge Your Accomplishments – Think of the entire things you have achieve in your life and write them down. Keep on reviewing the list of your accomplishments to remind yourself of your abilities to lift self-esteem.
- Draw Boundary – It is imperative for you to create your boundaries that are emotional, mental and physical limits to protect you from being used or violated. Personal boundaries separate you from what you are and what people want you to become. It helps you give importance to your feeling and thoughts. Respond to people who try to cross them. Maintain firm boundaries and do not allow anyone to manipulate you, take advantage of you or control you.
- Take Care of Your Self – Your health should always be a priority. Take care of yourself. Eat healthily. Practice good hygiene. Get proper sleep. Stay away from alcohol and drugs and exercise daily to keep yourself fit. If you are healthy from inside you, look best, and when you look best, you feel confident.
- Accept Failure As A Part of Personality Development – We all experience failure. Do not be hard on yourself if you fail but take it as an experience. Failure itself says that you have made an effort. It is an opportunity to learn more and keep perspective. If you have failed today does not mean you will fail next time too. Learn from the situation and be constructive. Keep moving forward in life as failure is temporary.
- Face Your Fears - Self-esteem often dances between your greatest fear and deepest desires. When you start confronting your fears, you realise that what you fear was not that scary and you develop courage. We all have concerns, and it is vital to keep us alive throughout our evolution. It helps us to decide what is real, develop wisdom and create appropriate responses. Facing fear is very important for all over well-being.
The approaches given in this article are practical ways to lift low self-esteem. Put them into practice to bring a real change.