Self-Esteem Month: 6 tips to boost your self-esteem, right now
It’s International Boost Self-Esteem Month!
But what is self-esteem and why does it matter? Put simply, self-esteem is how you view yourself – and how your see your value.
Developing and maintaining a positive sense of self is fundamental to good mental health.
Our teams of recovery-focused mental health Support Workers at SIL recognise the importance of helping the people we support develop a strong, positive sense of their identity. This means we recognise the importance of achievement, even with small things, in helping the people we support develop a positive self-esteem – a fundamental part of ongoing good mental health.
Building your own
And whether or not you receive support with your mental health, we can all do a lot to boost and maintain our mental and emotional health and wellbeing.
According to research, one of the key things you can do is build your own positive self-esteem.
Difficult and stressful life experiences can negatively affect your self-esteem. These can include bullying or abuse, worries about money, relationship problems, and physical and mental health problems. Your self-esteem can change suddenly, or you might have had low self-esteem since you were a child.
Having low self-esteem for a long time can make it hard to understand your feelings - and then make positive changes.
That’s why boosting your own self-esteem is a life-long journey.
However, we’ve got 6 tips to help you boost your self-esteem, starting from right now.
- Smile. Smiling is the quickest win in this article. When you smile, your brain gets a positive message - and very quickly boosts that feeling of wellbeing and inner calm. Yes, it’s really that easy!
- Accomplish something. Cook a meal from scratch. Declutter your living space. Start a new book, rather than a TV series. However big or small the accomplishment, self-esteem comes from achievement - rather than praise from that achievement. Accomplishing something builds your inner sense of confidence and personal control, rather than leading you to seek rewards. This works whether you’re aged 1 or 100!
- Get creative. Sketch the view from the window. Change the lyrics of your favourite pop song. Plant a window-box of herbs. By using different parts of your brain, being creative boosts self-esteem - and can even boost your performance at work.
- Hold your head high - literally. Like with smiling, correcting your posture by holding your head high sends signals to your brain. These signals boost inner confidence, and increase oxygen to your brain. Yes – there really are direct links between your emotions and your muscles moving and body posture.
- Take 2 minutes to appreciate yourself. First, think about 1, 2, or 3 things you appreciate about yourself. Is it that you can be kind? Is it that you were able to forgive someone? Then, write these things down. This way, you’ll better remember what you appreciate about you.
- Do someone a favour. It’s definitely harder – but not impossible – to do someone a favour right now. But you could get someone you live with a cup of tea, pay them a compliment or order online a small gift for a friend. Doing someone a favour releases your feel-good hormones so you feel rewarded and happy. Kindness really does matter.
About SIL:
We believe there are still too many people currently in hospitals or institutional care settings who, with the right support and structure, would thrive in community settings. SIL provides specialist support and recovery services for people with complex mental health needs, supporting them to transition into their own tenancy.
Find and contact SIL services in your area.
SIL is part of the Lifeways Group.
About Lifeways:
Lifeways provides extraordinary support for working-age adults in the community.
Lifeways supports adults with diverse and complex needs, including learning disabilities, autism, physical disabilities, acquired brain injuries, and mental health conditions.
Please note: The image above this article is for illustrative purposes only. The photo was taken before the COVID-19 pandemic, and does not depict anyone mentioned in this article.