Low self-esteem is a problem that can have a negative impact on all aspects of our lives. It can make us feel unworthy, unlovable, and undeserving of good things.
Society tells us that we should feel confident and proud of who we are. However, for many people, this is not the reality. Despite its negative effects, low self-esteem is a very common problem. Over 85% of Americans suffer from low self-esteem.
Some people believe that others are born with confidence. But it’s actually something that everyone has to build and maintain throughout life.
The good news is that you can defeat these negative feelings. It might not be easy, but it is possible. With time, patience, and effort, you can learn to love and accept yourself – flaws and all.
Fortunately, it isn’t permanent and you can start doing things to build it back up starting today. Keep reading to find ways to overcome low self-esteem and start living a more fulfilling life.
Practice the following methods regularly so you can rebuild low self-esteem:
1. Have a clear vision of who you are
Self-concept (or self-image) is how you visualize yourself. Some people have a distorted self-image due to negative memories. Get to know who you really are.
- Think about hobbies you enjoyed or enjoyed in the past.
- What are some things you like about yourself?
- What are your talents?
Having a clear image of who you are can build a stronger self-concept.
2. Don’t be so hard on yourself
“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”
— Robert F. Kennedy
If you catastrophize and blow all your mistakes out of proportion, you’ll never want to take risks. You’ll never feel brave enough to put yourself “out there, ” which is necessary for success.
Punishing yourself with horrible thoughts is not the way to improve your life. Over time these negative evaluations can wreak havoc on your well-being.
This cycle has to stop, or it will take over your life. Studies show that self-esteem issues from childhood often develop into addiction problems. So, try pushing yourself out of your comfort zone a little further each day.
3. Improve the things you can change
Stop holding on to thoughts, people, and things that destroy how you feel about yourself especially if they’re within your control. After you fix the problem, you will gain more confidence and self-respect. Strive always to improve yourself and your situation.
If you can’t fix it, then don’t waste time worrying about it. Accept it and move on.
4. Build your self-discipline and cure low self-esteem
Self-discipline is your ability to control your behaviors and emotions. You can overcome your weaknesses. You can strengthen it by forcing yourself to do what you need. Often these activities aren’t fun, but they’ll improve your life in the long run. Also, when you finish them, you’ll give your confidence a boost. You’ll feel energized and want to complete something else.
If you don’t give yourself any goals, you’ll feel bad about who you are if you never strive to make progress.
Having a job isn’t enough. You need personal goals and projects to be proud of yourself. After all, you can’t reap benefits from past accomplishments forever. Don’t let your life fly by before you realize you haven’t done anything to make yourself proud.
5. Release your need for acceptance to conquer a low self-esteem
There has yet to have been a person who everyone liked. No matter how amazing you are, there will be people who still don’t like you. That’s okay! The best thing to do is accept it and yourself. That way, you won’t crave their approval so much.
Needing people to always like you and be around you is a weakness that devalues your self-esteem. You are teaching yourself that you aren’t good enough alone.
6. Don’t compare yourself to others
You know yourself better than anyone in the world. So, you are the only expert on who you are. Therefore, you shouldn’t compare yourself to others because you aren’t an expert on being them.
You don’t know that person’s thoughts and fears. Nor do you know of any traumas they’ve been through. Compare your present self to your past and see how far you’ve come.
7. Be aware of your inner-voice
You are constantly shaping your life, relationships, and surroundings with your thoughts. Look around you. Your reality reflects your inner world. So, make sure your thoughts are optimistic and encouraging.
Be aware when you start thinking negatively and pull those thoughts back to positivity. Soon your mind will naturally think positive thoughts.
Even if it feels corny, remind yourself that you’re unique, valuable, and worthy of love every day. It certainly won’t hurt!
8. Learn something new
Learning something new can be a great self-esteem booster. There are tons of YouTubes and apps to teach you whatever you want to know. Studies show learning a new language helps with self-esteem. You can do this for free with the Duolingo app.
9. Challenge yourself and win
Give yourself a simple goal that you can achieve. If you only give yourself lofty goals and don’t achieve them you’ll lose respect for yourself. Whereas if you finished the task you’d get a boost of confidence that will lead to more achievements.
10. Clean your space
Make yourself do/clean/organize what you’ve been avoiding. After all, it’s not going to disappear or improve on its own. Cleaning and organizing have a calming, therapeutic effect on the mind. A clean environment will ease your depression and your stress levels. You’ll also feel much better about yourself when you are done.
In short, your self-esteem level determines how happy and successful you become in life. If you do the above things regularly, you’ll overcome low self-esteem and and start living a more fulfilling life.
