6 Ways to Hold Yourself in a Higher Esteem

Having a high sense of self-esteem and worth is one of the most fundamental aspects of living a well-balanced, healthy lifestyle. However, what does it mean to hold yourself in high regard and where do you start?

 

Your self-esteem is the bundle of thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, which are unique to each one of us. It’s how much you appreciate your whole entire being - faults and all. It’s constantly changing and has its ups and downs because our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs also have their ups and downs.

 

However, just as you work on building strong muscles, building your self-esteem requires constant upkeep. Here are 6 ways to maintain your self-confidence.

 

1. Highlight your strong suits. Everyone has things they’re strong at and things they’re not so good at – that’s life. Nothing and no one can ever reach perfection. Finding contentment with what you have and who you are now is the spirit of a truly self-confident individual who knows their value in the world.

 

2.  Demonstrate your strengths. When you were young, your mom probably hung your artwork on the refrigerator door so that everyone, including you, can appreciate your hard work. You need to do the same for yourself now. Set realistic goals and break them down into daily, or weekly, assignments. Once you meet each goal with success, you’ll feel a gratifying sense of accomplishment, and your brain will reward you by secreting dopamine, a ‘pleasure’ hormone that’s released into the bloodstream when we have a goal and work towards it.

 

Sometimes we find ourselves taking an all-or-nothing methodology, that’s when we miss out on a lot of happy moments in life. Nothing is ever only good or only bad; life is a concoction of experiences and it allows you to view it through your own filtered lens. 

 

You’re the one who gets to decide whether your lens will show only the negative aspects, or will it point to the positive as well, and take the negative with a grain of salt and move on. 

 

It’s important to remember that your goals and strengths change with time; they evolve and grow, just like you. Nothing ever stays the same so you need to update your self-image to accommodate your current skills and capabilities, to fit in with your present self.

 

3.  Have pride in your accomplishments. Having high self-esteem doesn’t come from empty rhetoric and false hope; it comes by taking action and proving to yourself, then to others, that you are intelligent and responsible. This is followed by positive feedback because people sense your confidence and self-respect. And when you speak, others will listen and pay attention to what you have to say.

 

4.  Dress the part. Even though clothes don’t make the man, they sure give your self-confidence a boost. More importantly, personal hygiene is at the top of the list of high self-esteem. In addition, having good posture is also a confidence booster. Exercising 3 - 5 times a week will not only get you looking sexy and sculpted, it’ll also lower your stress levels so you’re able to look at things with a more stable, calmer viewpoint, and aren’t as likely to let negative thoughts overpower you. 

 

Of course, let’s not forget about your diet. Knowing what to eat and when means you understand your body; its cravings, when its blood sugar levels drop, when it needs hydration, that sort of thing. Being comfortable in your own skin means you have a set of ideals and are very clear about what works for you and what doesn’t.

 

5.  Find things you enjoy. Find a hobby, or learn a new skill. You can even discover that you have a talent for doing something you’d never considered before. Moreover, you get to meet new people and experience new ways to express yourself without inhibition or judgment. The important thing is to not compare yourself to others when engaging in any type of activity, and try to avoid people who criticize too much or are overly judgmental.

 

6.  Volunteer. Helping other allows you to connect with others on a human level that has become somewhat rare nowadays since everyone is so busy with work, family, and other things going on in their lives. Studies show that when you help someone out, the brain secretes a ‘happy’ hormone that decreases stress levels and makes us happier and more content.