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 Develop Your Self-esteem

Self-esteem is an important part of your life, and if you don't have healthy self-esteem, your anxiety and depression is likely higher than it should be. In this blog post, we'll teach you how to develop healthy self-esteem so that you can live a happier life.

We're going to cover what low self-esteem actually means, why you might be experiencing it right now, and then steps on how to build up your own self worth.

What Is Low Self-Esteem?

Before we get into any steps you can take to build up your self worth, I'd like to start by defining what low self-esteem actually means.

Simply put, low self-esteem is when you feel like you're not good enough and that you're not valuable. This can manifest in a number of ways – from constantly comparing yourself to others, from feeling like a burden or from always questioning your actions and decisions. All of these things can make it very difficult to live in the world as a happy person.

Low self-esteem is often sustained by negative thoughts or feelings – ones that are unsolicited and unwanted. While you can often control these thoughts and feelings, you're unable to control your automatic negative thoughts.

Why Don't I Have Healthy Self-Esteem?

I've already explained the definition of low self-esteem, so it's probably very clear to you why you think that way. However, there's also something else going on.

For many people with low self-esteem, the problems don't necessarily start when they have their first negative thought or feeling. For example, some people think they're not enough because they got bullied as a child. Others may have an abusive upbringing that affected their self-worth and made them feel worthless.

In many cases, not having high self-esteem comes from a combination of these factors. In other cases, you've grown up in an environment that's very toxic and you're afraid it's going to affect how you view yourself.

But even if these are all contributing factors, the truth is that there are ways to get over your low self-esteem or develop healthy feelings and thoughts about yourself. You're not broken as a person – you just need to work through some things.

How We Develop Healthy Self-Esteem

I have a few tips that I'd like to share with you on how to build up your self-esteem and live life with more confidence and happiness.

1. Live In The Moment

One of the biggest things that you can do if you suffer from low self-esteem is to stop obsessing over yourself. You need to realize that you have value and you have worth, but at the same time, not everyone is going to like you or appreciate everything that you have to offer.

You may have tried this in the past, but then something happened and your low self-esteem came back with a vengeance. If this sounds familiar – it's probably because living in the moment isn't just about accepting the good and bad things about yourself – it's also about accepting the good and bad things about other people too.

Accept the fact that you're going to come across people who don't like you, and be OK with that. Sometimes, people are going to dislike you for no reason at all – and that's OK. You can't control what other people think of you – as long as your own thoughts and feelings about yourself are positive, then there's really no need to worry about what others think.

2. Positive Self-Talk

Out of all these tips, learning how to change how you talk to yourself is one of the most vital things on this list. If you want to build your self-esteem and live a happier life, then positive self-talk is something that needs to be a huge part of your routine.

When you start to feel down or like you're not a good enough person, it's time to change your thoughts. Instead of telling yourself that you're not good enough or that you don't have anything to offer, tell yourself that everything is OK and remind yourself of your positive attributes.

It's going to be really hard at first, but if you keep repeating positive statements over and over again, eventually this negative thinking will stop. Instead of thinking about all the things in the world that aren't going right for you, think about what is going right for you.

3. Take Good Care Of Yourself

While self-talk is one huge way to boost your self-esteem, so is taking care of yourself physically. Paying attention to the way you eat and drink, getting plenty of sleep and exercising on a regular basis are all great ways to improve your physical health and emotional wellbeing too.

Whether it's going to the gym every other day or eating a healthy diet full of fruits (and vegetables), you need to make sure that you're taking steps to care for yourself. It doesn't matter what sort of habits you pick up – as long as they're healthy ones that'll help support your body.

4. Be Grateful

Along with positive self-talk and taking care of your physical health, you also need to remind yourself of all the things that you have to be grateful for. Sometimes, people with low self-esteem forget about the good things in their life, and then become really depressed when they start thinking about those things.

When was the last time you did something for someone else? When was the last time you or someone else complimented you on anything? When was the last time that what happened to you, no matter how bad it seems now, could've turned out much worse?

It's these little reminders and moments that can help keep your self-esteem healthy. It may be hard to remember all of these things, but if you think back to some of the positive things in your life, then you'll be more likely to remember more of them.

5. Gratitude

Finally – and I know that this one is easier said than done – is being grateful for everything that happens in your life. Yes, there are times when you're at a loss for words about something that happened or when you can't find any reason to be grateful for something, but these feelings will fade away if you think about all the time that goes into your life and the things that happen on a daily basis.

If you're constantly thinking about how you can't be grateful for something because of how bad it is, then you'll rarely find anything to be grateful for. But if you try to think of all the things that have happened in your life that have led you up to this point – and all the things that will happen in the future as well – then there's no way that you won't feel grateful for everything.

Maybe it's not a big deal, but I used to look at times when I felt down and lonely and I'd question why I'm even on this Earth or why anyone would want me around.

Conclusion

The main reason you have low self-esteem is because there's something that's making you question your worth as a person. And the only way to be able to get over it is to start focusing on your positive attributes and all the great things that are happening in your life.

You're not the first person who has questioned their self-worth, and you won't be the last either. But it is possible to have a healthy self-esteem if you're willing to put in some effort and devote time into making yourself feel better.

Remember that self-confidence isn't something that everyone has, but if you want it bad enough, then you'll eventually get there one day.