Improve Self Esteem

We all want to improve self-esteem because we want to feel more positive about ourselves. Here is what you need to know to improve yours.

Americans are more concerned with self-esteem than other cultures partly because we have many symbols of personal success in our society. Those symbols are our house, car, clothes, vacations, jewelry, and even what prep school our kids go to. Despite how superficial this may seem, its part of our culture. External objects of success can have an impact on self-esteem if that's your yardstick. However, over time, these external measures tend to mean less as we understand their limited value.

As a therapist for over 35 years, I've had many opportunities to improve self-esteem especially with depressed patients. First I want to define self-esteem as an attitude that's completely under your control. It's a way to view yourself and the world. If this attitude was established in childhood, that's where I would start. So, see if you can pinpoint when it started, that goes a long way in understanding the cause. It often comes from an over stressed parent and not a result of anything you did.

THE ORIGIN

Being aware of the cause of negative feelings like a degrading parent or sibling helps put our feelings in perspective. Just because others blamed you, that's no reason to blame yourself. Some of us may have had toxic people in our past which we may have to accept and move on. We must release feelings of the past so we can move forward in a healthy manner.

SELF-AWARENESS

You may not realize how amazing you are until you make a list of all you abilities, skills, and attributes. This is a written exercise because you will continue to add to it. I want to see a long list of even the smallest traits like making your bed in the morning or just being polite to people. Fill the page and pin it on your refrigerator to remind you.

RELATIONSHIPS

Did you know that we take on the attitude of those around us? It's important to step back and evaluate how positive our relationships really are. Sometimes, we might hold onto old friends out of obligation or duty, but that may not be a good idea. Ask yourself if your friends or family treat you with the same respect as you treat them? This exercise involves making a list of all the people we know and assigning a positive value to each.

ACCEPT YOURSELF

We are not perfect and that's OK. Accepting the unique imperfection of yourself and others is what makes personalities interesting. An attitude of acceptance of others tends to increase their acceptance of you. Transformative exercise: you can decide to say something positive about people each time you meet them. Don't be surprised if they start doing the same to you which increases your self-esteem.

JEALOUSY

This occurs when others are perceived as better in some way. People who spend too much time on social media tend to feel this way of others. Men especially tend to compete on different levels that can make one feel inadequate. So, don't put yourself in a win or lose situation and stop worrying what others are doing. Be sure to set you "own" goals. Self-esteem is based on our contentment with ourselves, not others.

CREATIVE VISUALIZATION

Before you get out of bed in the morning, lie there and visualize(mental imagery) how positive or effective you will be that day. If you have an interview, image how it will go and how positive and confident you will feel. If you haven't done this before, you may be surprised how behavior follows predetermined thought.

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