5 Ways to Boost Your Self-Esteem
Success in any endeavor requires a planning process that minimizes risks, but it also requires the confidence that comes from healthy self-esteem. If there’s anything you want to accomplish in your personal or professional life, engaging in activities that help you boost your self-esteem will help you succeed. These tips can help you gain the confidence you’ll need.
Recognize Negative Thoughts
One of the biggest obstacles to achieving healthy self-esteem is the negative inner thought process that you experience several times each day. If you’re like most people, these thoughts can get carried away without any conscious realization that you’re entertaining these thoughts. Even so, dwelling on negative thoughts can affect your mood, your interactions with others, and your efforts to achieve personal goals. Combating these thoughts requires recognizing them as soon as they occur, so you should practice being more aware of your own thoughts. As soon as you recognize a negative thought, dismiss it by thinking about something positive. Any happy thought can be used to replace negativity and allow you to focus on the things in life that do bring you joy.
Avoid Comparing Yourself to Others
Anyone’s self-esteem can take a devastating hit when they stop to compare themselves to someone else. This is a common habit, but it’s also one that’s unproductive and can result in feelings of defeat and despair. It’s important to remember that everyone has unique talents and different failings, so measuring your progress by another’s success isn’t helpful. You have no way of knowing what advantages they started with or what help they received along the way. If you don’t have access to those same resources, it will seem as though you haven’t performed as well. In reality, you may have achieved much more with less support. This type of comparison in any aspect of life often leads to anxiety, depression, and increased stress.
Look for Inspiration
Everyone has a bad day now and then, but it’s important to recognize it for the fleeting moment that it is within a grander scheme. When you have a bad day, look for ways to boost your mood. You can watch inspirational videos online, read a women empowerment blog, or listen to motivational music. Even an uplifting film can be enough to restore your self-esteem and help you reach your potential for that day. The next morning, you’ll likely wake up feeling refreshed and more positive about your situation, so, when your self-esteem takes a hit, do what you can to get that little boost.
Work It Out
When your self-esteem needs a boost, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to get some exercise. Whether you prefer resistance training or cardio workouts, getting some moderate to high-intensity exercise will help you gain more confidence and energy. As you exercise, your brain releases endorphins, commonly known as the “feel-good” neurotransmitters, that boost mood and stabilize emotional health. This is the reward your body gives you for doing something healthy and it can be used to give yourself an increase in self-esteem. This is why many professionals use their lunch break to work out or go for a hike. When they return to the office, they feel energized and ambitious without negative thoughts holding them back.
Give Back to Your Community
If you have some extra time on the weekend or in the evenings, consider donating your time to a worthy cause. Whether you help with a food drive, tutor in a literacy program, or spend that time visiting the elderly, your time will be valued by others. As you’re helping the people in your community, you’ll find that these rewarding experiences are benefiting your own self-esteem. Engaging in volunteer opportunities will help you realize that you do have something of value to offer. When you can see that your actions are improving the lives of others, you’ll feel a definite boost in confidence and self-esteem.
Self-esteem is important to your emotional health as well as helping you gain more success in life. If these tips don’t help you feel that boost, look for more ways to bolster your self-esteem. It may take a process of trial and error, but you should never stop looking for new ways to improve your self-esteem.
