Improving your self esteem

Definitionof self-esteem

From ourearly childhood we begin to create a picture about ourselves. That picture isabout our traits, looks, faults and virtues and it is called self-image. Wecreate our self-image according to messages we receive from our parents andother important people from our surrounding. Self-image or mental picture takespart in building our self-esteem, which is related to our feeling of belongings, acceptations, andvaluation that we receive from others, but it is also connected with how muchwe love and appreciate ourselves. Individuals with healthy self-esteem valuethemselves and their own accomplishments, but on the other hand, those with poorself-esteem are overwhelmed with feeling of incompetence in everything they do.We all sometimes have or had problems with our self-esteem, which is particularly present duringthe period of early adolescence when young individuals are trying to find theirplace in the world. Once built self-esteem, it is not unchangeable. It can bechanged over time, which is good for those who have poor self-esteem.

Problemswith self-esteem

First youshould know that your self-esteem depends on the treatment that you get fromothers and on the opinion you have about yourself. It is of high importance forchildren to be valued by their parents, teachers and other important figures intheir lives. Those kids who are often criticized by their parents are muchharder to build a positive self-image. Teenagers are under the influence ofparents also, but it becomes very important for them how their friends see themand what they think of them. Usually, we say that parents have great influenceon our self-esteem, but, we are forgetting that our own thoughts and innercritic are participating in developing self-image. If individuals have thetendency to criticize themselves, they will most likely have problems withself-esteem. The most commoncause of low self-esteem lies in unrealistic expectations that people tend to have. It isvery important to seek and find qualities in you and to admire them.

How toimprove your self-esteem?

Don’t thinknegatively about yourself and focus on something positive instead. If you areused to self-criticizing, stop yourself and think positive. Don’t try to doeverything perfect, because that might not encourage you. Look at your mistakesas challenges to do different next time and learn something from them. If youhave something that you want to achieve, work on that step by step and be happywhen you succeed. Exercises can be very helpful in building your self-esteemand in relieving stress. You should enjoy in life and have fun with your lovedones. No matter how old are you, it is always possible to rebuild your healthyand positive self-image.