“Build your self-esteem by recalling all the ways you have succeeded, and your brain will be filled with images of you making your achievements happen again and again. Give yourself permission to toot your own horn, and don’t wait for anyone to praise you.” ~ Jack Canfield
Self-esteem is the opinion of how you view yourself. Personal thoughts of yourself, the relationships you have with others, and experiences all play a role in shaping your self-esteem. To be happy and to lead a better life, you need to build esteem because it improves your self-confidence, your relationships, and your happiness.
Here are eight tips to help improve your self-esteem:
1. Have the courage to fight your fears. Face and fight all the challenges that come your way, but don’t exaggerate them. Once you face your fears, you boost confidence and your self-esteem.
2.. Learn from past failures and forgive yourself. Don’t repeat past mistakes and don’t become despondent about them. Keep trying until you succeed. Everyone isn’t perfect but give yourself permission to make mistakes and learn from them.
3. Deal with negative thoughts in a productive manner. When such thoughts present themselves, analyze why you are experiencing them. In other words, are they accurate thoughts or are you jumping to conclusions without logic or facts?
4. Make adjustments to your thoughts with positivity and faith. You may have made mistakes in the past, but that doesn’t mean you are a bad person. Think about things you have done well and use them as motivation to help you think positive during a challenging situation. If you remain hopeful, it acts as a form of self-motivation (pessimism).
5. Identify situations that make you feel uncomfortable (low self-esteem triggers). Some situations are known to affect how you see yourself. It may be a person, where you live, or work. Pay attention during these situations to identify thought patterns. Look at positive ways to defuse or avoid the situation.
6. Develop a good posture. How you carry yourself says a lot about you. If your shoulders are slouched, it means you lack confidence or are unenthusiastic about life. Good posture helps improve self-confidence, and you’ll start to see yourself in a positive light. Make eye contact, stand straight, keep your head held high, and smile.
7. Give yourself rewards each time you succeed. When you make an effort to help yourself ride over your negatives and convert them into positives, success will enter your life.
8. Count your blessings. Instead of thinking about your weaknesses, concentrate on being thankful for everyone in your life and being grateful for what you have. Think of all your successes, skills, relationships, and anything else. Accomplishing something on your own is a great way to boost self-esteem naturally.