Want to learn how to improve your self-esteem, start feeling better about yourself and in general, start living life better? It is true that when you feel good about yourself, you tend to make good choices for yourself.Â
These choices can be around your sleeping and eating habits, your relationship with movement, how you treat other people, your urge to use substances and of course how you treat yourself.Â
We’ll explore why self-esteem is important and tips for improving it.Â
Why Is It Important?
Self-esteem is a topic that will likely come up in therapy regardless of what you’re hoping to address in therapy, and the reason for this is that how we feel about ourselves impacts many different things in our lives.Â
How Does Self-Esteem Develop?
Self-esteem begins to form at an early age. Children have these early life experiences that impact how they see themselves which results in how they feel about themselves.
Even though self-esteem begins to form in early childhood, it is something that continues to form day to day as we grow up. Experiences that hinder positive self-esteem in childhood tend to develop as a result of children being criticized harshly, yelled at and or abused. Bullying from peers and lack of achievement in sports or school can also result in children developing low self-esteem that carries into adulthood.Â
Since we understand how self-esteem is diminished, it is clear to understand what promotes Self-esteem. Self-esteem grows through successful interactions with others. This could be through positive words people share with you, praised actions for the stuff you do, and compassion and care that they show you.Â
How Does Counseling Help Boost Self-Esteem?Â
Building a therapeutic relationship in a supportive environment with a person you can trust can help boost self-esteem and confidence because you are experiencing care and support from another person.
Counselling also provides a safe space where individuals can explore their feelings about themselves and their own self-image. They can address any negative perceptions that they may have about themselves and work with therapists to combat these negative beliefs.
With the help of psychotherapists, clients can really dive in deep and look at underlying factors that could be contributing to their self-image, such as those past experiences we talked about, societal influences that have impacted them, or the unrealistic expectations we set for ourselves brought on by the media.
Through self-reflection and therapeutic techniques, counsellors assist clients in challenging those negative perceptions, find self-acceptance, and develop a new positive self-image.
Remember, It’s Not About Perfection
It is important to remember that self-esteem is not about liking everything about ourselves or having no flaws. We may still struggle with loving our bodies every second of every day or we may still wish we were the captain of our ice hockey team.
Developing positive self-esteem comes from learning to accept who we are by seeing the insufficiencies and even accepting them, but still choosing to like ourselves.Â
Tips To Help You Develop Positive Self-Esteem
- Write out a list of things you admire about yourself
- Stop being a people pleaserÂ
- Step outside your comfort zone
- Stop comparing yourself to others
- Forgive yourself for your past thoughts
- Set boundaries in your relationships
- Celebrate your wins
- Let go of negative people
All in all, developing positive self-esteem won’t happen overnight, and even people who have high self-esteem still have moments and feelings of doubt at times.
During those hard moments or days, I challenge you to challenge yourself. Go on that date, keep the lights on, wear those shorts, try out for that team and give yourself the compliment you so desperately deserve.Â
Connect with a therapist who can work with you to help you improve your self-esteem.
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