Raising self esteem

 

Meaning- self esteem is a psychological construct which tell us how we perceive ourselves. It’s our  picture in our eyes.

Self esteem is extremely important part of our personality.It decides whether we will be reaching our full potential in terms of relationships with self and others,career and our satisfaction with life. 

Symptoms of low self esteem 

1.inability to take advice 

1. Inability to appreciate 
2. Inability to take criticism 
3. Blaming either self or others
4. Too much of argument 
5. Never open to others view point
6. Always worried about what others think of you
7. Finding faults in almost every one and every thing
8. Pushy and controlling behaviour 
9. Constantly comparing the self with others
10. Insecurity , fear, anger  and guilt 
11. Too rigid image of self( e.g extreme statements like I can not change my habits, I am like this )
12. Hearing others appreciation makes you find reasons why they don’t deserve this appreciation /justification without being asked that why can’t you do it.
13. Always analysing what you did wrong with the intentions of self loathing 
14. Feeling of inadequacy 
15. Missing opportunities because of not having the confidence to accomplish the task.

Practical tips to improve your self esteem 

1. Practice gratitude- everyday write one thing which makes you feel lucky and feel gratitude.
2. Self awareness - everyday write one thing which you feel you are good at.Try to recognise your patterns I. e what makes you feel low about yourself. Ask if this pattern is helping you or harming you. Set an intention to improve it.
3. Self building- everyday write one thing which you want to improve in yourself and set a small goal in that direction.
4. Appreciate others genuinely. What you give it comes back. If you are making others feel good chances are they will reciprocate the feelings.
5. Do one act of compassion /contribution everyday. It creates the feeling of self worth.
6. Use brain switches- start your day with switching your self love mode on with affirmations. You can find millions videos of affirmations on you tube . Choose the one which suits your requirements.
7. Start learning something new- A new skill / new knowledge. Learning creates new pathways in your brain and lifts your confidence.
8. Fight your fears by deliberately facing them. The more you leave your comfort zone and take your fears head on the better you feel about yourself.
9. Have a family game of telling each member their strengths or qualities. It’s a powerful way to lift your self esteem.
10. Have a buddy in your journey of self building. Everyone constantly needs to improve themselves. If two people support each other in this endeavour, the process becomes easier and interesting.

These are few basic steps to start the journey. Ones your attention and intentions are combined to achieve an aim you keep finding your own ways and figure out what works best for you.