How to Improve Self Esteem – Follow these 9 Steps

by Personal Growth-Self-Care

There are several ways on how to improve self-esteem and build self-confidence fairly quickly.  The faster you use these ideas, the faster you will develop a strong and long-lasting self-esteem.  In developing a good self-esteem it will allow you to fearless and overcome social anxiety.   Let’s briefly discuss these 9 tips in five general categories:

(1) Your activities

(2) The people in your life

(3) Your attitude, and

(4) Your personal care

(5) Your Spirituality

9 Steps on How to Improve Self Esteem?

Step 1: Get involved in fun activities or hobbies 

Find time to do things you enjoy like listening to music, gardening, carving wood, or drawing. Example: I enjoy writing, and now I write for many hours a week. When you do things you enjoy and allow creativity you effortlessly boost self-esteem.

Step 2: Be productive

Not all activities are fun. Some of these things help you feel better when you finish them such as balancing your checkbook or organizing your home and getting rid of clutter.

You can begin by setting small tasks for yourself and try to fulfill one task per day.  Start small and then go from there.  One can boost self-esteem by being productive and fulfilling goals which will provide a sense of accomplishment.  Small accomplishments are the start and you built from there.  Also, being around the positive people also drives you to take productive measures on how to improve self-esteem.

Step 3: To boost self-esteem try spending time with people who have positive attitudes

These people usually keep busy by doing things around the house, doing community activities, or are involved in doing things that are beneficial to themselves or others.  When you help others you also help yourself, and that in itself brings its own rewards.

Being around people who complain all the time can make you tempted to find things wrong with your life.  It can also make you feel angry or sad.  Remember,  if you spent time around people who gossip and complain, you may be tempted to do the same thing.  So it is best to walk away or put it ‘in one ear and out the other ear.’

“If you wish to be held in esteem, you must associate only with those who are esteemable.”  – Jean d ela Bruyere 

When a dove begins to associate with crows its feathers remain white, but its heart grows black” – German Proverb

You will find that people with positive attitudes have problems just like any other person, yet they don’t dwell on these things unless they are taking action to battle the problems.  They have a positive mindset, and they generally know when to take action and when to let things go.

So how to improve self-esteem?  You can boost self-esteem by surrounding yourself with good people, with good minds, and good attitudes.  When you are with people who are this way you will definitely feel good about yourself!

Step 4: Confront people who put you down (and better yet, spend less time with them if possible).

If people are rude to you or you suspect they have been saying bad things about behind your back, you basically have a couple of choices for dealing with it without lowering your self-esteem.

You can confront them, spend less time around them, or be courteous yet indifferent to them without any emotional investment.  If you have to work closely with this person or see them all the time, just continue being a professional and be polite.  But most importantly, you need to tell yourself that you are a “worthy person” and rehearse in your mind your skills and accomplishments.  Acknowledge the gifts you have and continue to gain self-awareness which will boost self-esteem and lead you to a happier life.

Step 5: Look on the positive side of things

We have all heard the expression, “with every cloud has a silver lining.’ It is so true.  Try to take a negative situation and turn it into a positive, by doing productive things, getting involved in helping others, and in doing this you will also benefit.  Be good to yourself and people around you thereby impacting that winning positive mentality.

For example, when I found out that my brother Tony was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer, helping him was often difficult.  He was in very poor health and really did not want anyone’s help. He was very proud and always was a very self-efficient person.   Instead of dwelling on his illness and his resistance to accepting help, my family and I focused on providing him with the best medical attention and love.

We spent time talking about the good times we shared, moments of laughter, which help to focus less on his illness and provided some comfort for Tony as well as for us.  As a family, we decided to take a positive attitude and make his last day’s one of comfort and filled with love.  Our positive attitude made a whole lot of difference in his life and ours.

People with positive attitudes often look on the bright side of things.  Boost self-esteem by looking at the cup that is half full instead of half empty.  So to turn a negative into a positive, you need to have hope, faith, an optimistic attitude, and perseverance.  It means changing negative thinking to something that can be beneficial and positive.  It’s giving it your “best shot” so fire away!

Step 6: Take care of your personal hygiene

Providing care and attention to your personal hygiene is another way on how to improve self esteem.  For instance, although I work from home I find getting up early in the morning and getting dressed in a more professional manner really helped me get more out of my day and feeling motivated.How to improve self esteem

So if you like to boost your self-esteem you can set a routine to do every day.  Begin by taking care of your personal grooming which will help you feel better about yourself, and help you have a more fulfilling and productive day.

Step 7: Exercise on a regular basis

Boosting self-esteem can also involve exercising regularly. Finding time for exercise is a challenge, especially with a busy schedule, but you can implement a simple exercise routine.

For example, you can do some easy stretches, to prepare yourself for a walk, which will help keep your muscles mobile.

Try walking every day, at first for 15 minutes and gradually increasing the time or the distance depending on how you feel.  Walking is a great way to lose weight, to stay physically fit and is a wonderful way to relax your mind and bring emotional peace. Find an activity that you are comfortable with and enjoy doing.  Make that part of your daily routine or regimen and that will also help boost your self-esteem.

Step 8: Eat healthy food

When you eat a lot of fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, and whole grains, your body is able to use it to provide energy and to keep you healthy. I don’t always do that because I like sweets. However, I do like dried fruits and nuts. I tried to have a spinach salad with some hard boiled eggs, a bit of bacon to provide some taste.  Green vegetables or spinach have been known to have anticancer properties and relieve anxiety.

So, this is a good time, to become a little more conscious about what you put into your body.  What you consume today will affect your health and longevity in the future.   Take the time to do some research to help educate yourself about healthy foods and healthier living.  Also, keep in mind, that what you put into your body, affects your state of mind as well. So, if you have a healthier lifestyle it will definitely help to boost self-esteem and create a healthier state of mind.

Step 9: Spiritual nourishment

Just as you feed your body with food, you also need to nourish your spirit, which is the essence of who you are. This is simply done by providing yourself with some quiet time for thought or reflection.

  • Take the time to sit quietly and empty your mind of all negative thoughts and re-focus on the blessing that you do have.
  • Saying a quiet prayer can also lead to peace of mind and help you to become more grounded and focused.
  • Listen to inspiring music will help soothe your soul.
  • Do meditation or yoga.

It is important you find the time to feed your spirit, mind, and body, but most importantly your spirit, which is the essence of who you are!  When you nourish your spirit, you will have an inner calmness that will allow you to see things with more clarity and objectivity.  So what seems like a dead end can have possibilities or solutions.

Finally, we have mentioned 9 tips on how to improve self esteem and take care of yourself mentally, physically and spiritually. Some of these things are easier to implement than others. If you look through the ideas and decide which ones to start right away, you will start feeling better about yourself.  You will also be able to decrease the anxiety and stress in your life.

Boosting your self-esteem will provide a better quality of life (for instance, getting better friends and taking care of your health). When you implement these ideas, you may find it awkward at first, and changing your habits doesn’t happen overnight.  But if you have a positive mindset, to implement a better life plan for yourself, all your efforts and planning will lead you to a successful and a more blessed life!

From Boost Self Esteem Return to Why Develop Self Awareness


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