TIPS FOR BUILDING SELF-ESTEEM

          Mental Health America (MHA) states, “Everyone feels awkward, insecure, or alone at times – especially during adolescence… It’s unfortunately common to not feel great about yourself sometimes”. If you are an adolescent, you might feel that it is you alone feeling awkward, insecure, and rejected by companions and groups. But even adults can feel this way. “The secret is: Most of your peers feel this way too” – even the ones who seem famous, smart, and intelligent (MHA).

“Self-esteem refers to your overall sense of worth – how much you like and respect yourself” (MHA). Self-esteem is a realistic and appreciative opinion of yourself. Being realistic implies that you try to be accurate and honest in understanding yourself — that you do not catastrophise your unpleasant feelings and experiences; and do not minimize your good qualities. Having an appreciative opinion of yourself means that you look at yourself with genuine love and support. Healthy self-esteem can empower you to reach your goals, express your needs, and have a more positive outlook on life (MHA). 

This and the next articles will shed light on some proven and helpful tips to boost one’s self-esteem. The first tip to consider to boost your self-esteem is that ‘you can’t read people’s minds’. 

Remember: You Can’t Read People’s Minds

Examine if you tend to claim that you exactly know what others think about you. Unfortunately, most often, you make assumptions about how others think poorly of you though there may not exist any proof to prove what you believe. “It’s easy to assume how someone feels about you – based on a text they never replied to, a weird look they gave you in the hall, or just the fact that you’ve never really interacted. None of these things mean they don’t like you – so try to stop your brain when it starts creating a story about what they must be thinking” (MHA). Go talk to people. 

           Practice the above tip and you will find that most people are not actually vicious, and do not see you poorly. Instead of trying to read others’ minds, talk to them. This will help you make good connections with others, boost your skills in interpersonal relationships, aid you in understanding yourself realistically, and boost your self-esteem. 

 

Notes

Mental Health America (MHA), (2022), 2022 Back-to-School Outreach Toolkit