9 Ways to Improve Your Self-Esteem

How's your self-esteem today?

 

Yeah, yeah, I know. Sounds like something you hear in school all the time during Good Character Week or whatever. Self-esteem is kind of a buzzword now. You might hear about it so much that you are ready to tune this out. But wait, come back for a second . . .

 

What does self-esteem really mean? Self-esteem is having confi­dence in and satisfaction with yourself. You're proud of yourself, you feel good about yourself, you like yourself. What's important to know is that true self-esteem comes when you are thinking and act­ing in ways you can be proud of, when you are comfortable with yourself from within.

 

The way to get this inner feeling of self-esteem is to focus on your whole self—your body, your mind, and your spirit. And here are nine things really work.

 

1. Talk to yourself—and be nice. Whether you have high or low self-esteem is based on your self-talk. You have 60,000 thoughts running through your head all day. And 95 percent are the same thoughts that ran through your head yesterday. And for most people, 80 percent of them are negative. You put yourself down. You think, "I'm stupid. I can't do this."

 

Our words and thoughts create chemicals in our bodies. These chemicals influence your health and how you feel! Posi­tive thoughts are real medicine.

 

So the place to start is to notice what you say to yourself then stop saying words that weaken you, such as:

• can't

• have to

• should

 

Anytime you say those kinds of words, you weaken yourself. Here are examples of negative thoughts:

• I am stupid.

• I am fat.

• I am worthless.

 

"I am" is the most powerful phrase in our language. You can switch the negative words from above around and have the op­posite effect:

• I can do it.

• I am a good person Much better.

 

2. Avoid toxic people. Toxic people are those who criticize, gos­sip, and generally drag you down. You're influenced by what other people around you say. No matter how strong you are, their messages still get inside and affect you. Instead, spend time with people who are nurturing, nourishing, and supportive, and who encourage you to be who you really are.

 

3. Be active physically. Move your body. When you feel good physically, you feel good emotionally. Exercise gives you a "high" from chemicals called endorphins. When you exercise, you start a chain reaction that causes you to feel good about yourself.

 

4. Drink lots of water. Water flushes all the toxins (the bad stuff) out of your body. When you don't drink enough water, you feel tired and sometimes depressed. Drink eight to ten glasses of water a day.

 

5. Get enough sleep. Research shows that our bodies work in what is called circadian cycles. When we sleep when nature sleeps, our bodies respond. Every hour before midnight gives you sleep that's twice as good as the hours you sleep after mid­night. So sleeping from 10 P.M. to 6 A.M. is better than midnight to 8 A.M. even though it's the same number of hours.

 

6. Have a connection to a higher power. If you were to inter­view people who have high self-esteem, you'd find that they tend to have a feeling of connection to something that is bigger than themselves. They might call this power God, a Source, or a universal energy. When you feel you are part of a bigger whole, when you feel connected, you have a sense of purpose in your life. Being out in nature can help you connect. Prayer also can be immensely helpful.

 

7. Meditate. I find that meditating 15 to 20 minutes a day im­proves self-esteem. Meditation helps you think more clearly, be more creative and energetic, and feel more peace inside. I started meditating when I was 16, and it changed my life.

 

8. Give thanks. I recommend doing a gratitude exercise. This is one of the best ways I know to build self-esteem. It gets you in the habit of looking at your life as a glass that is half full and not half empty, which helps you be optimistic. Each night think of or write down five things you are grateful for that happened that day. For example:

 

"I'm grateful that I had a great time with myfriends today"

"I'm grateful that I felt healthy."

"I'm grateful that I watched a beautiful sunset"

"I'm grateful that I didn't have to worry about not havingfood to eat today"

"I'm grateful that I stood upfor myself in gym today."

 

Do this for twenty-one days. That's the amount of time it takes to establish a new habit, so you are more likely to continue.

 

9. Listen to your inner voice. Each of us has an inner knowing in our heart, in our solar plexus, that we often ignore. When you aren't feeling good about yourself, or when you have a problem, let your inner voice speak to you.

 

Before you go to sleep at night, put a pad of paper and pen by your bed. Say aloud or think to yourself: "I don't know what to do about (the problem). I want to have an inner sense of what to do."

 

Then go to sleep. As soon as you wake up, write your thoughts down on the paper. Don't judge what you write. Don't criticize yourself for what you write. Don't let the pen stop. It's giving you a message from your inner voice. Have the courage to listen to that message. You'll discover what's best for you.

 

I recommend that you pick one of these exercises and do it for a month. Then pick another until you have tried all of them. After nine months, you will notice how good you feel about your­self. Nine months seems like a long time-well, okay, it is; but it's not so long if you think about how it will make the REST OF YOUR LIFE better!!!