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Psychologist Elena Sidorenko explained what self-esteem is and how to improve it
13.02.2023 20:30
Updated: 14.04.2023 01:18
What is self-esteem? If you break the word down trivially, it is how I evaluate myself.
Psychologist Elena Sidorenko explained what self-esteem is and how to improve it.
Healthy self-esteem means the ability to hear yourself, accept your feelings and the ability to express them in interactions with other people. The ability to act based on your feelings and sensations.
But we are used to something else: we are used to the fact that our self-esteem depends on other people, on what they think of us and how they treat us.
According to statistics, about 70% of people base their self-esteem on the opinions of others. Just imagine that the self-esteem of almost 2/3 of people depends directly on others!
Self-love consists of the feeling of one’s own value, the ability to accept one’s shortcomings and one’s virtues, and satisfaction with oneself and with life in general!
Acceptance is not about avoidance, acceptance is about acknowledging reality and ending the fight with yourself. Acceptance is about feeling that I am like this, and it is neither good nor bad, it is a fact.
How to increase your self-esteem
Stop any communication that ruins your attitude towards yourself. Look for a company of people who accept themselves, then you yourself will relax. If you want to learn something, find someone who has already done it.
Recognize your worth. We love those we invest in. If I want to love myself and increase my self-esteem, then I have to invest in myself. People with low self-esteem are used to doing for anyone but themselves.
How to invest in yourself
– Into your development, into your intellectual component: study, read, listen to lectures, attend trainings.
- In your appearance. This helps many people feel more confident: sleep, nutrition, sports, swimming, cosmetology. With any schedule, think about how you can start investing in yourself at least minimally?
Set aside 1 hour a day for your development, set aside 1 hour a day for your appearance, even if it is reading a book, listening to a lecture, taking a bath, scrubbing, self-massage, yoga or light physical activity.
This is very important not only for increasing self-esteem, but also for preventing emotional burnout and maintaining the joy of life.
Live in the present. Any changes in our lives are possible from the state of "here and now". Many people with low self-esteem live in the future. "Only when something changes, happens, then I will live, do something, acknowledge myself." Try to stop and see what already exists.
Accept yourself as a person. Accept your past, all your decisions and the consequences they entailed. To do this, remember a situation from the past that you do not accept in yourself, and say: “yes, this happened, and I am sorry, but then I did not have enough experience and knowledge to act differently. I forgive myself for this.”
Accept your appearance. Without judgment, criticism, guilt and shame, irritation, just the facts. Start with the positives, first focus on what you like. A mole on your shoulder, hair, eyes, waist, fingers, at least 10 points.
Appreciate what your body can do. Thank your body for what it has given you, in the parts you are not happy with. Your breasts for feeding your children, your belly for carrying your children, your legs for the strain they bear every day. Everything you have, you need!
All changes in your life begin with you, and they are possible from the “here and now” with stable self-esteem.
