From No to Low, What You Can Do to Improve Self-Esteem

Here are two universal truths about self-esteem:

Building your self-esteem is essential for confidence and success, and it all begins with you.

People with a healthy self-esteem are able to define their worth, value and achievements.
Many people suffer from low self-esteem. This is especially true of the vulnerable child and teen groups. For some, battling low self-esteem can feel like being on a hamster wheel. Going round and round with little result. If this sounds familiar, rest assured, you’re not alone and there’s something you can do about it. There are many activities to build self-esteem in adults, children and teens.

Sure, people who suffer from low self-esteem can work with a therapist to develop confidence, assertiveness and in general gain a stronger sense of self, but most never seek services. A low Self-esteem can be built upon, IMPROVED and strengthened, all you need to do is let go of your inhibitions and decide to no longer be that person.

On a fundamental level, to improve the self and overcome low self-esteem, having immense self-knowledge is paramount. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses, limits and goals will serve to keep you on track and stop getting caught up in the faulty thinking feedback loop. The faulty thinking feedback loop is where your brain challenges your new, healthier, positive ways of thinking by pointing out areas of weakness, limits, and excuses. Your brain then starts believing these things because the frame of reference it uses is a personal history book of failures, embarrassments, let-downs, etc., giving you feedback (all the dysfunctional junk you tell yourself).

One way you can start improving your self-esteem today is by including physical activities and activities aimed at building self-esteem each day. It is vital to continually test yourself. With each new fear you face, your confidence and self-esteem will improve dramatically.
The Most Effective Tips to Build Self-esteem in Children

Building self-esteem is so important for children of all ages. Most parents feel very strongly about their children developing confidence and self-belief. Self-esteem is an important subject for parents and children alike.

Parents can build on their child’s self-esteem just by commenting on their appearance. Giving a child positive feedback over a long period of time will do a great deal toward their developing a positive self-view, as long as it far outweighs the negative feedback they receive.
Get involved in their little world. Children thrive on knowing they are cared for and cared about. Work to be more involved in what your children are doing, what they like or don’t like, and who their friends are.
ListenOne of the best ways for children to learn is for someone to show them how. If they’re old enough, let them help you in the garage, garden, kitchen or whatever you like to do. Remember not to force them to enjoy an activity you enjoy. It’s better if they’ve shown interest. Don’t get upset if they try something and decide it’s not for them. It’s their world and they’re still in the process of discovering what they like and don’t like. That leads us to…
Accept them for who they are. Faults and all. They accept you. It’s called unconditional love.

A Really Interesting Way of Building Self-esteem (in today’s world)

If you fill out a self-esteem worksheet you may find that you’re making a list of positive and negative attributes. You’ll begin to work on increasing the list of positives while challenging and negating the negatives. However, in today’s plugged-in world, it has become increasingly difficult to escape negative messages. Kids, especially, increasingly buy into much of their social interaction in an online, connected world. As a very real example, bullying can be physical, verbal, social, or happen online.

For the plugged-in kids of the world, it can be very hard to escape brutal punches to the self-esteem gut. To combat this, unplug and learn to be mindful. This is true for adults too. Unplug and learn to be present in the world around you at any given moment. Turn off the t.v., tablet, computer, smartphone, radio (streaming too), or any other electronic distraction that has the potential to deliver bad news or show you all of that advertising that’s secretly making you unhappy with yourself. It’s also a good idea to stay away from newspapers, magazines and other media that will have similar affects.

Change is going to happen whether you make any effort or not. You know there are moments when you have been creative, attractive, and even intelligent. Self-esteem is how one views him/herself, either positively or negatively. By visualizing what you want, you begin to set it in motion. You have to change the way you think, and you have to learn how to gain confidence. When you need a bigger and better you, learning to rely on yourself is key. Not what you wanted to hear?

You are the only one who can find the solutions for your specific problems. Every step will help you attain your aim, so keep walking, even if you feel weak, alone, lost, or worse. You might fear taking risks, feel unworthy or incapable, or be perfectionistic or afraid to make mistakes. The most important factor is not whether you fight, but how you fight. You will always land safely, no matter how great the risks.

If you’re not sure if you suffer from low self-esteem, there are many self-esteem worksheets online that can assist you in the process of working out how to improve and build your self-esteem.

Books to guide you through your own personal self-exploration:

The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
The Self-Esteem Workbook

Self-Esteem: A Proven Program of Cognitive Techniques for Assessing, Improving, and Maintaining Your Self-Esteem

To your *Growth

Jason