Almost everyone experiences low self-esteem at some point in their lives, and for some people it can be a life-long struggle. It can feel debilitating, and get in the way of your day to day life and relationships. If you’re going through a time of low self-esteem right now, there are things you can do to build your self-worth and well being in general. Having a healthy sense of self-worth leads to better relationships, work life, health, and mental and emotional well being. If you’re wondering how to value yourself more, here are nine tips to boost your self-esteem.
How to Value Yourself More
1. Speak Positively to Yourself
The way you communicate with yourself has a huge impact on your confidence and self-esteem. If you’re constantly talking negatively to yourself (“I’m so ugly”, “I need to lose 10 pounds”, “I’m so terrible at this”), you’re consistently diminishing your self-worth.
Positive self talk can benefit your mental health, career performance, and relationships. It can help you develop effective strategies to cope with your emotions, and makes you feel good about yourself. If you notice yourself engaging in negative self-talk, stop your thought mid-stream and replace it with something positive. This will take practice, but the more you do it, the easier it will become.
2. Accept More Compliments
So many of us have a hard time accepting compliments. We deflect them, diminish them, or just change the subject. Work on accepting compliments when they’re given to you, even if it makes you uncomfortable at first. Try to receive them with grace and gratitude- say “thank you” and perhaps work towards sharing what the compliment means to you. Be sure to acknowledge the compliment and take it to heart. Hearing admiration from others can help you build the value you see in yourself.
3. Practice Saying No
Sometimes putting yourself before others is completely necessary. If you’re feeling drained and exhausted because you’re constantly saying yes to things you don’t have the energy for, something’s got to give. We get it, it can be really hard to say no to people, especially when you’re a caring and generous person. However, you have to be honest with yourself about how much capacity you have. Say yes to things that light you up and fill your cup, but be careful not to fill your calendar with too many commitments. Taking time for yourself to rest, relax, and recharge is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
4. Think About What You Put Into Your Body
How you feel about yourself often has a lot to do with what you put into your body. Your diet hugely impacts your mental and physical health and can diminish or boost your self-esteem. Focus on eating a diet filled with lots of protein, healthy fats, whole grains, leafy greens, and fruits and vegetables, and drink lots of water, while minimizing processed foods, fried foods, refined carbs, red meat, sweets, and sweet drinks. Alcohol can also have a big impact on how you feel about yourself. While having a bit of alcohol here and there is totally fine for most people, if you’ve become dependent on it or use it to cope with difficult feelings or situations, it can make you feel even more down and depressed.
5. Prioritize Healthy Relationships
If the people around you are constantly putting you down, judging you, or making you feel bad about yourself, you’re more likely to do that too. I heard this quote recently that really struck me. “You can tell how much a woman loves herself based on the partner that she chooses” and it’s so true. This goes for friendships as well. Healthy relationships consist of respect, kindness, and lifting each other up. The more you value yourself, the more you realize you should be prioritizing people who value you, and vice versa.
6. Try Talk Therapy
Talk therapy can be incredibly helpful in building your self-esteem. It will help you figure out why you don’t value yourself as much as you should and reduce your negative self-talk. Your therapist can help you work through your self-esteem issues and feel more confident in yourself. With time and work you can build a healthy relationship with yourself. It’s super important to find the right therapist for you. If you aren’t feeling it, keep shopping around until you find one you love!
7. Start a Daily Meditation Practice
Any amount of daily meditation can help you be gentler and less judgmental with yourself. Meditation can help you break the cycle of negative self-talk and become more present in experiences and relationships that bring you joy.
Through meditation, you can train the mind to be calmer, clearer, and more compassionate toward yourself. With regular practice, you can learn not to get so attached to negative thoughts, find self-compassion, and build resistance. Focusing on gratitude releases happy chemicals in the brain like dopamine and serotonin, so practicing gratitude through meditation can reduce anxiety and depression.
8. Make Time for Exercise
If you’re a frequent reader around here, you know how much we encourage exercise. There are so many benefits to moving your body on a regular basis, but today we’re going to focus on how it can boost your self-esteem. Exercise boosts your confidence and body image, improves your mental health, and elevates your energy, creativity, and productivity. Working out on a regular basis will improve your life overall. Aim to workout three to five times a week and get daily movement in, such as a walk or leisurely bike ride.
9. Find an Activity You Love
A great way to build your self-worth is to get involved with activities you love. This could be signing up for a recreational soccer team, taking photography lessons, going to dance classes, or starting calligraphy. Maybe there’s something you’ve always wanted to do, but never got around to it. Now is the time. Spending time doing things you enjoy improves your mental health, increases confidence, and improves your mood and overall well being.
Try these tips if you’re working on your self-esteem. They’ll help you boost your confidence and value yourself more.
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