Self-esteem is being happy with yourself and knowing that you are worthy of the good things that happen to you in life. However, you develop a gloomy picture due to the unpleasant things you go through in life. Here are three valuable tips to consider when dealing with low self-esteem:
- Don’t beat yourself up when dealing with honest mistakes. Think about this: you’re a considerate and sympathetic person. When a friend goes through hardships, you don’t criticize, scold, or put them down for poor decision-making. No matter how appropriate your “I told you so” may seem, you console your friend, use nice words, and might even take them out to get ice cream to boost their self-esteem. Yet, with yourself, you are harsher. When you fail, and it’s time for you to speak to yourself, you use a destructive approach. Why?
- Don’t become a doormat for someone else to walk over you. I love reading the book of Proverbs in the Bible. I love the wisdom it contains. There’s a verse in Proverbs 29:21 (MSG) “If you let people treat you like a doormat, you’ll be quite forgotten in the end.” Avoiding this outcome where people treat you like a doormat rests upon the fact of you setting forth limits. If you don’t set boundaries, others will walk all over you, destroying your self-esteem. You must resist the temptation of caving into others because when you do, you lose strength in defining yourself, which is exceptionally vital to self-esteem.
- Don’t equal self-worth to the material things you have. A group of people believes that their identity is defined by what they have. Don’t fall prey to this thinking. Your self-worth should extend beyond worldly possessions. A fancy car, big house, or comfortable living should not define you. If it does, you run the risk of reducing your self-worth’s wealth to a few pennies. And heaven forbid that a lousy economy looms over the horizon because what will happen to your self-definition? Let your self-worth be defined by rich experiences instead: Travel, read a book, spend a day at the spa. Treat yourself to experiences that aren’t weighed against the value of gold.
It’s easy to lose sight of your self-esteem. In fact, even people who enjoy high self-esteem stumble and fall into a dark corner if they aren’t aware of the pitfalls they experience every day. Of course, these three tips aren’t a solve-all approach; instead, it’s a quick reminder of the things you may be doing that may have your self-esteem in a ditch. So do a self-check, and if you’re guilty of any of these, now you know how to get out of the funk you’re in.
