How Do You Improve Self-Esteem?

Self-esteem is the way one feels about his or her own self. It can be compared to self-confidence, but there are differences. Self-esteem can also be called self-efficacy, self-confidence, or self-respect. This concept has many definitions and is a very vague term. It can mean the way you feel about yourself, how worthy and likable you believe you are, or your feeling about your abilities and capabilities.

To give a brief definition of self-esteem, self-concept, and self-worth, the famous American philosopher Emile Zola defines it as “the state of being pleased with one’s self and having no need of others.” Self-esteem encompasses a person’s personal evaluation of his/her own self-worth. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about one’s self and emotional states, including happiness, sadness, triumph, pain, fear, satisfaction, embarrassment, and failure. The first step to improving your self-esteem is to change your negative beliefs about yourself. You can do this by changing what you think about yourself and creating alternative self-talk.

Self-esteem is necessary for a healthy self-concept and high self-worth. Self-esteem can affect your emotions and your relationships. For instance, having low self-esteem can make you procrastinate and have a low opinion of your own abilities of others, which can prevent you from taking the necessary steps to succeed in a situation.

There are six pillars of self-acceptance; cognitive self-acceptance, bodily self-acceptance, psychological self-acceptance, interpersonal self-acceptance, and internal state self-acceptance. The first of these, cognitive self-acceptance, is used to replace negative self-talk with positive messages that promote self-respect and confidence. Cognitive self-acceptance helps you monitor your own behaviors, which are the results of your thoughts, and helps you change your behaviors to better match your beliefs. This technique is particularly useful for low self-esteem sufferers because it allows them to examine their negative behaviors and to replace them with new positive ones. It also helps people who feel trapped by their negative behaviors to learn how to shift their negative thoughts to more realistic self-conceptions.

Another way to improve self-esteem is through self-compassion. Self-compassion is described as a deep, genuine caring that comes from within to heal the wounded mind and body. Self-compassion allows you to release the hurt, shame, anger, anxiety, stress, and depression in a safe and supportive way that does not require the use of drugs, alcohol, or Therapy. This gentle approach to ending feelings of self-inflicted suffering releases the powerful pain of pain and builds a secure healthy sense of self-worth and self-belief.

One of the most powerful tools for improving self-esteem and the related aspects of happiness and success is positive psychology, including self-acceptance, self-compassion, and self-care. Positive psychologists have developed a series of interventions that can be used for improving self-esteem and high self-esteem. For example, Behavior Therapy in Briefly: A Practical Guide (BDBP) is a helpful introduction to the basics of positive psychology and is a good place to begin exploring what it means to be positive in this way.