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Are you still failing in transforming your confidence? Are you tired of being taken advantage of by all the false self-help hustling "gurus" that you leave broke and unchanged?

Subscribe and listen in - I dare you!

Are you still failing in transforming your confidence? Are you tired of being taken advantage of by all the false self-help hustling "gurus" that you leave broke and unchanged?

Subscribe and listen in - I dare you!

Raw, honest and relatable.

Thank you, Billy for being so open and forthright in each episode. You've helped me tremendously and I look forward to listening to you. You've had quite the journey in life and sadly, I can relate. From childhood trauma to other types of abuse, I appreciate all that you've shared but moreover, how your intelligence, belief in God and courage has propelled you to share your wisdom and experiences with your listeners.

🔥🔥EPISODE 501🔥🔥

Whew, Episode 501 was fire! Billy was spilling out the TRUTH and he is truly set free but all of the nuggets of wisdoms within this episode will set YOU free! Get a pen and paper out, put it on pause, write these nuggets down, and he's given you the map! His show was built around the Phoenix. Have you ever wondered what the Phoenix was being rebuilt from? Have you ever wondered what tore it down? You know because it's your story. BUT have you ever wondered about the heat of the fire? THIS EPISODE IS THE ENERGY OF THAT FIRE!

Down to Earth Excellence

Billy is SO down-to-earth, warm, and relatable, in addition to introducing us to countless new perspectives and ways to live our best life.

I also never feel like I'm just a part of his or his guests' marketing or income strategy. Any plugs offered are briefly mentioned, and never pitched nor use convincing.

Too many self help / self care podcasts are hosted by people who either seem so perfect they seem out of reach, or they lack directionality or actionable insights.

Billy has the perfect balance.

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‎Unshakable Self-Confidence on Apple Podcasts

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Are you still failing in transforming your confidence? Are you tired of being taken advantage of by all the false self-help hustling "gurus" that you leave broke and unchanged? Subscribe and listen in - I dare you! Are you still failing in transforming your confidence?

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‎The Self Esteem and Confidence Mindset on Apple Podcasts

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Mixed in Beautiful - Create. Empower. Love.

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"Self-love" - it's what we all preach but, honestly, very few of us actually have. That's why I made these 7 free, printable self esteem worksheets. When you are done with these worksheets, you will have a newfound love for yourself!
Haven't you heard? Self esteem is the new trend! However, while it may seem like everyone has it nowadays, very few actually do. Why?

Because building your self esteem is probably the hardest thing you could ever do!

Think about it. Especially as a woman, almost everything society tells us has to do with changing ourselves in some way. We can never be perfect just as we are. It's no wonder that according to the Dove "Choose Beautiful" campaign, only 10% of women worldwide said they wouldn't change anything about themselves.

That's why I made these self esteem worksheets. I want to get to a place where I truly am in love with myself and I am fighting to get there every single day. And because you're reading this, I bet you are too.

These self esteem worksheets will challenge you to really dig deep and think about why you love yourself, why you don't love yourself and how you can get to a point where you no longer have to question if your self-love.
Today, we're talking all about self esteem worksheets!
Amazing Self Esteem Worksheets

1. Self Esteem Worksheets to Build Your Confidence

This confidence-building worksheet is one of the ultimate self esteem worksheets for women. This worksheet helps you identify what you love about yourself, what you don't love about yourself, and how you can fight against that self-hatred that we all sometimes feel.

If you want building your self confidence, you can download this self-confidence worksheet here.

2. Worksheet to Find Your Identity

A huge part of improving your self esteem and learning to love yourself is simply getting to know yourself. The more that we know who we are, the more that we understand our flaws as well as our greatness.

This self esteem worksheet asks deep questions that will challenge you to get to know yourself better and understand your personal identity more.

You can get to know yourself better by downloading this self identity worksheet here.

3. Worksheets to Create a Sense of Belonging

Feeling like we belong greatly affects our self esteem. When we feel like we belong somewhere, we begin to truly believe that we are loved and are important to others.

This self esteem pdf helps you to realize who and what makes you feel like you belong and how you can surround yourself with a sense of belonging.

Figure out where you belong by downloading this belonging worksheet here.

4. Worksheets to Identify Your Uniqueness

Understanding and learning to love your uniqueness is a great way to build your self esteem even more. Appreciating your uniqueness means understanding that you have a mixture of gifts and talents and qualities to give to the world that no one else can.

I love filling out this worksheet because it helps me realize exactly what sets me apart and why I am loved for my uniqueness.

If you want to start loving your uniqueness, you can download this uniqueness worksheet here.

5. Worksheets for Empowerment

Feeling empowered is a great way to build your self esteem. When you take power over your life, you allow yourself to really work towards your dreams despite what society or anyone else may say.

This empowerment worksheet is designed to make you think about what aspects of your life make you feel powerful and what aspects of your life make you feel powerless. It also challenges you to think about how you can grow the power you have over your life.

If you want to truly take control of your life, then download this empowerment worksheet here.

6. Self Esteem Worksheets to grow Your Self Appreciation

You work hard. You have been through so much and are still going. You have achieved so many goals and done so many amazing things. You should appreciate yourself for all that you do!

Self-appreciation is an amazing aspect of self esteem. It makes you to take a step back and realize just how amazing of a job you do every day, even during the mistakes.

This worksheet will help you to identify things to thank yourself for. It also gives you space to think of how you can reward yourself for being so amazing.

Take it from me - you deserve it!

Start to thank yourself today by downloading this self appreciation worksheet here.

7. Worksheets to Understand Your Feelings of Jealousy

One of my favorite books I've read recently is "Girl Code" by Cara Alwill Leyba. In reading this, she challenges the reader to redefine our jealousy. She tells the reader that jealousy is just wanting something that someone else has but convincing ourselves that we cannot have it.

This worksheet helps you understand why you are jealous and why you have convinced yourself that you cannot have the thing you are jealous of.

But, it even goes a step further and challenged you to identify action steps that you can take to work towards getting whatever it is that is peaking your jealousy.

If you want to not only conquer your jealousy but start taking steps towards a new, unstoppable you, then you can download this jealousy worksheet here.

Growing your self esteem is a challenge that everyone should accept. Yes, it is hard, but it is more than worth it! With high self esteem, you become unstoppable and your dreams become realities.

I created these 7 insanely thought-out self esteem worksheets to help you see what aspects of your self esteem that you need to grow and what action steps you need to take to start working towards that newfound self love today!

You can download all of the self esteem worksheets here.

This post discussed 7 self esteem worksheets that will make you fall in love with yourself!

Until next time,

If You Enjoyed This Post, You Might Also Like:

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7 Amazing Self Esteem Worksheets That Will Make You Fall In Love With Yourself - Mixed in Beautiful

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"Self-love" - it's what we all preach but, honestly, very few of us actually have. That's why I made these 7 free, printable self esteem worksheets. When you are done with these worksheets, you will have a newfound love for yourself! Haven't you heard? Self esteem is the new trend!

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The Confidence Toolkit | Academy | AllBright

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The Confidence Toolkit 1 / 6 | Academy | AllBright

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Chloe Brotheridge is a hypnotherapist, mentor and coach, who shares her work at

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Six behaviors to increase your confidence | Emily Jaenson | TEDxReno

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Rate this statement on a scale of one (disagree strongly) to five (agree strongly): "I see myself as someone who has high self-esteem."

Thomas Nelson | Entrepreneur

If five wasn't your go-to answer, you're not alone. In a study of more than 985,000 people in 48 nations, researchers found that, on average, men consistently report higher self-esteem than women in every single country. What's more, the confidence gap was wider in Westernized countries (United States, United Kingdom, Canada), while it was narrower in southeast nations, such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

Confidence is famously elusive, but there's a bright side to that: People have spent countless hours on research and self-improvement books meant to help others move past self-esteem shortcomings. Here are eight to consider.

You Are a Badass (Jen Sincero)

Image credit: Running Press Adult | Entrepreneur

What We Love: In the first paragraph of her book, Sincero writes, "What little I knew about the self-help/spiritual world I found to be unforgivably cheesy... At the same time, there was all this stuff about my life that I desperately wanted to change and, had I been able to bulldoze through my holier-than-thouism, I could have really used some help around here." If this hits home, give You Are A Badass -- written by a #1 New York Times bestselling author and success coach -- a try. In three parts, Sincero's book outlines "How You Got This Way," "How to Embrace Your Inner Badass," How to Tap Into the Motherlode" and, finally, "How to Get Over Your B.S. Already." In chapters with titles like "Love The One You Is" and "Your Brain Is Your Bitch," she dives into concepts like self-perception, spirituality, healthy views of money, meditation and purpose, all via accessible language and actionable how-tos.

What Readers Say: One reviewer writes, "Stop what you are doing and get this book... This was the last book I read in 2017. The timing of it was perfect, because it helped me to formulate my goals and resolutions for 2018. This book helped me come up with my theme for the year: Love yourself.' Another says, "Her writing style does not feel like a self-help book at all. It's like having real-talk with a self-loving, educated girlfriend.'

Best Place to Buy: Currently listed at $9.59 on Amazon

The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are (Bren é Brown)

Image credit: Hazelden Publishing | Entrepreneur

What We Love: There's a reason why a speech by Brené Brown ranks in the top five most popular TED Talks of all time. She's a research professor and bestselling author, and this book contains guidance for living "wholeheartedly" -- something Brown equates to living your life from a place of worthiness. Through the book's ten guideposts -- with titles like "Cultivating Authenticity: Letting Go of What People Think" and "Cultivating Creativity: "Letting Go of Comparison" -- Brown aims to teach readers to view themselves as "enough," to let go of productivity as self-worth and to move away from self-doubt and the need to feel constantly in control.

What Readers Say: One reviewer writes, "I initially avoided this book out of concern that it was one of many under-evidenced self-help titles. Changing my mind on reading this was undoubtedly one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I am a much better person for it... I think I can guarantee that something in this book will profoundly change you.' Another says, "The author talks a lot about how making a major change in your life isn't something you wake up and do one day, it's something you practice every single day. And most will struggle with it, but without the struggle, we lose out on so much. I will have far fewer regrets on my deathbed having read this book.'

Best Place to Buy: Currently listed at $8.70 on Amazon

The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance -- What Women Should Know (Katty Kay and Claire Shipman)

Image credit: HarperBusiness | Entrepreneur

What We Love: In this book, broadcast journalists Katty Kay (BBC and NBC News) and Claire Shipman (ABC's Good Morning America) draw practical advice from their own life experiences, as well as those of other prominent women in media, business and politics. They combine these ideas with research in genetics, behavior, cognition and gender to arrive at self-esteem advice for women of all ages. "The newest research shows that we can literally change our brains in ways that affect our thoughts and behavior at any age," the authors write. "A substantial part of the confidence code is... our choice. With diligent effort, we can all choose to expand our confidence. But we will get there only if we stop trying to be perfect and start being prepared to fail."

What Readers Say: One reviewer writes, "I was expecting a touchy-feely book about how girls should have more confidence and drop everything to pursue your dreams, but I was incredibly pleasantly surprised in how scientific this book is.' Another says, "This book mentioned so many things that I used to do myself... I could see how I'm stacking the deck against myself without even knowing it. I read it before a salary negotiation, and as a result, I upped my initial asking number (and they gave it to me)!'

Best Place to Buy: Currently listed at $14.89 on Amazon

The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun (Gretchen Rubin)

Image credit: Harper Paperbacks | Entrepreneur

What We Love: There's a reason why this book topped The New York Times' Best Sellers list -- and why its author, Gretchen Rubin, has had her works translated into more than 30 languages. Rubin's writing and analytics put her at the forefront of research on habits, human nature and happiness. The latter was sparked by a simple question she asked herself on a rainy afternoon on a city bus: "What do I want from life, anyway?" In this book, Rubin outlines her own resolutions for the year she spent working on her own "happiness project." She focused on a different area each month, like vitality and boosting energy for January -- this meant goals like an earlier bedtime, better exercise and simply acting more energetic. Rubin's angle here isn't telling readers to do something -- rather, it's to share her own experience in hopes of inspiring readers to think differently about their own happiness.

What Readers Say: One reviewer writes, "The quirkiness of this twelve-month plan for a focus on happiness distinguishes it from other self-help books. It allows for a plan that can be modified to fit any individual.' Another says, "A realistic, genuinely practical (but not easy), lifelong approach to making the constant adjustments we know we need to be our best selves.'

Best Place to Buy: Currently listed at $9.00 on Amazon

The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem: The Definitive Work on Self-Esteem by the Leading Pioneer in the Field (Nathaniel Branden)

Image credit: Bantam | Entrepreneur

What We Love: This 1994 book is an oldie but goodie. In it, Nathaniel Branden -- a pioneer in the self-esteem movement -- answers four questions: What is self-esteem? Why is it important? What can we do to raise our levels of self-esteem? And what role do others play in influencing our self-esteem? He also addresses six self-esteem cornerstones in turn: the practices of living consciously, self-acceptance, self-responsibility, self-assertiveness, purposefulness and integrity. Branden outlines steps for success in each of these areas, and he cautions that the task of sustaining them falls on each individual. "No one -- not our parents, nor our friends, nor our lover, nor our psychotherapist, nor our support group -- can "give' us self-esteem," he writes. "If and when we fully grasp this, that is an act of "waking up.'"

What Readers Say: One reviewer writes, "As someone who is pretty self-aware but only just now dabbling into my deeper issues (self-esteem being my core struggle), I found this book to be supremely helpful. It offered me a ton of "Aha!' moments on how I relate to myself and others. It put into perspective that self-esteem isn't the prize at the end of treatment or work -- it's the actual work you do.' Another says, "I'm a psychotherapist, and I have gotten a lot out of this book personally and have recommended it to a lot of my clients.'

Best Place to Buy: Currently listed at $10.57 on Amazon

Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be (Rachel Hollis)

Image credit: Thomas Nelson | Entrepreneur

What We Love: Rachel Hollis may have started out as a Hollywood party planner, but she switched gears when she founded The Chic Site, an online platform focused on helping women improve their lives in the form of small, actionable steps. Her book takes the same approach when it comes to diving into the mindsets that get in the way of self-esteem and how to turn them around. Hollis begins each chapter with a specific lie she once believed about herself, then analyzes it and provides tools for like-minded women to stop believing it. One chapter begins with the lie, "I'll start tomorrow," followed by the ways Hollis found the motivation to always keep promises she makes to herself.

What Readers Say: One reviewer writes, "I honestly believe this book can help every woman grow. Personally, it has helped me focus on the one person who is the last to get my attention and effort: myself... She writes as if she's your bestie giving advice and sometimes tough love over a VLC (vodka la croix).' Another says, "This book rocked my world. I feel as though I've been picked up, thrown upside down and shaken around with all of the thoughts running through my brain since I started reading.'

Best Place to Buy: Currently listed at $13.79 on Amazon

Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person (Shonda Rimes)

Image credit: Simon & Schuster | Entrepreneur

What We Love: Shonda Rimes may have had three shows on television, but she didn't have it all -- especially when it came to confidence. Six words from her sister at a 2013 Thanksgiving dinner changed her life: "You never say yes to anything." Rimes realized she consistently said no to public appearances, interviews and events for one simple reason: fear. Self-esteem, unhappiness with weight and social anxiety all prompted her to decline any invitation that scared her in the least. And although it terrified her, she decided to change that in the hopes that embracing new things would lead closer to happiness. In this book, Rimes chronicles the year she spent saying yes to every single thing that scared her -- and inspires readers to do the same.

What Readers Say: One reviewer writes, "She's funny. Like laughing out loud in public funny. Like people changing seats on the bus because you're smiling and snickering to yourself funny. Like spitting up coffee and pastry on the Kindle screen funny... In addition to being funny, she's pitch-perfect in her capacity to convey authenticity, vulnerability and confidence all within the same paragraph.' Another says, "I felt overwhelmed by my responsibilities: work, school, mom, wife, trying to be everything to everyone... By the end of the first chapter, I was ready to start saying yes to more things in life.'

Best Place to Buy: Currently listed at $5.05 on Amazon

Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life (Gary John Bishop)

Image credit: HarperOne | Entrepreneur

What We Love: If you're stuck in your head when it comes to self-confidence and you respond well to tough love, look no further than Gary John Bishop's book. "Here's what you've forgotten: You're a fu*king miracle of a being," he writes. The author also serves up a fresh wake-up call for those who believe they're not in control of all aspects of their life, transparently reminding the reader that other people and circumstances aren't what's standing in their way -- it's their own negative self-talk. In that vein, Bishop also provides strategies to boost self-esteem, as well as "assertions" for readers to repeat until they believe -- for example, "I am not my thoughts; I am what I do."

What Readers Say: One reviewer writes, "With the help of Gary's words, I realize that I am my hero and, ultimately, this is really good news for me. I was so busy waiting for things to get better that I wasn't in action about living a happy life... I feel like I am finally awake after an extended nap.' Another says, "One of the best books I've read. He doesn't just talk about changing your life but he lays out clear steps to make it happen. Must read!'

Best Place to Buy: Currently listed at $11.54 on Amazon

Entrepreneur Editors' Picks

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Need More Confidence? Here Are 8 Bestselling Books to Get You There.

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Rate this statement on a scale of one (disagree strongly) to five (agree strongly): "I see myself as someone who has high self-esteem." If five wasn't your go-to answer, you're not alone. In a study of more than 985,000 people in 48 nations, researchers found that, on average, men consistently report higher self-esteem than women in every single country.

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The Self Confidence Workbook: A Guide to Overcoming Self-Doubt and Improving Self-Esteem

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The Self Confidence Workbook: A Guide to Overcoming Self-Doubt and Improving Self-Esteem - Kindle edition by Markway PhD, Barbara , Ampel, Celia, Flynn PhD, Teresa. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Self Confidence Workbook: A Guide to Overcoming Self-Doubt and Improving Self-Esteem.

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A lack of self-confidence comes in many shapes and forms, and learning how to build confidence is an ongoing project for most of us - we are all a work in progress! Here's some tips that you can use to learn how to build self-confidence.

How to be more confident

Make lists of your achievements, and things in your life that you are proud of.

Acknowledge your personal strengths and talents, and remind yourself of them often.

Set realistic goals for yourself.

Practice positive self-talk.

Make time for your hobbies, and try out some new things to find out what you are passionate about.

Talk to a counsellor or mental health professional to learn self-management strategies that can help build confidence and self-esteem.

What is a confident person?

Not everyone is born with an inbuilt sense of self-confidence. Sometimes it can be hard to develop confidence, either because personal experiences have caused you to lose confidence or because you suffer from low self-esteem.

A confident person:

does what they believe is right, even if it's unpopular

is willing to take risks

admits their mistakes and learns from them

is able to accept a compliment

is optimistic.

Tips for building self-confidence

There are a number of things you can do to build your confidence. Some of them are just small changes to your frame of mind; others you'll have to work on for a bit longer to make them familiar habits.

1. Look at what you've already achieved

It's easy to lose confidence if you believe you haven't achieved anything. Make a list of all the things you're proud of in your life, whether it's getting a good mark on an exam or learning to surf. Keep the list close by and add to it whenever you do something you're proud of. When you're low in confidence, pull out the list and use it to remind yourself of all the awesome stuff you've done.

2. Think of things you're good at

Everyone has strengths and talents. What are yours? Recognising what you're good at, and trying to build on those things, will help you to build confidence in your own abilities.

3. Set some goals

Set some goals and set out the steps you need to take to achieve them. They don't have to be big goals; they can even be things like baking a cake or planning a night out with friends. Just aim for some small achievements that you can tick off a list to help you gain confidence in your ability to get stuff done.

4. Talk yourself up

You're never going to feel confident if you have negative commentary running through your mind telling you that you're no good. Think about your self-talk and how that might be affecting your self-confidence. Treat yourself like you would your best friend and cheer yourself on.

5. Get a hobby

Try to find something that you're really passionate about. It could be photography, sport, knitting or anything else! When you've worked out your passion, commit yourself to giving it a go. Chances are, if you're interested or passionate about a certain activity, you're more likely to be motivated and you'll build skills more quickly.

If you're not feeling better

Sometimes the quick fixes don't help in the long term. If you're feeling bad and things just don't seem to be improving, it's worth talking to someone who knows how to help. Professionals such as counsellors and psychologists can help you develop strategies to help you build up your confidence. They may also be able to help you understand any underlying problems that might be causing you to feel bad about yourself.

Want to chat with a peer worker who can listen to you and support you? Book a free, text-based session with ReachOut PeerChat.

If you don't feel ready to speak to a professional, try taking a look at ReachOut Online Community. Talking out your worries with a supportive community of people who have been through similar situations can be a really helpful way to build your self-confidence.

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A lack of self-confidence comes in many shapes and forms, and learning how to build confidence is an ongoing project for most of us - we are all a work in progress! Here's some tips that you can use to learn how to build self-confidence.

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What is Self-Confidence? + 9 Ways to Increase It

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What is self-confidence? How does it differ from self-esteem? Discover the main scientific theories and learn how to build it for wellbeing.

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0:00 / 10:48•Watch full video

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One Mindset Shift to Quickly Increase Your Confidence

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Guided Meditation for Success, Confidence and Self-Esteem | Marisa Peer

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Self-confidence is crucial during the teenage years. To be self-confident is to have assurance in oneself. It means to have high self-esteem and an overall favorable view of one's self-value and worth. When you're a teenager with high self-confidence, you trust your own judgment, capabilities, and skills. You are more likely to set goals and have ambitions, stand by your own convictions and beliefs, and not be swayed by peer pressure. As a confident teen, you are also more socially adept and better equipped to handle the inevitable ups and downs of adolescence. But that's not all. Additional benefits of teen confidence building include the following:
So, okay, we get it. Teen confidence is crucial. But now what?
Unfortunately, despite the advantages of teen confidence, studies estimate that up to half of adolescents will struggle with low confidence during their early teenage years. Whether it be social media, unrealistic body expectations, societal pressures, changing bodies, puberty, peer pressures, or hormones, the reasons for lower levels of teen confidence are mind-numbing. This means less socialization, motivation, ambition, and more negative emotions, psychological ailments, body image issues, and teen alcohol and drug abuse risk.
Sounds pretty sad, huh? Don't worry.
The good news is you can take many proactive steps to build your self-confidence as a teenager, and Washington Psychological Wellness has your back! Below are three therapist-approved tips for teen self-confidence building.

3 Tips for Teen Confidence Building

1.Step Away From The Negative.

Y ou heard right. Ain't no one got time for that, especially teens. Confident people have learned to love themselves enough to leave the things that are making them feel bad. Practice loving yourself by stepping away from the things that are hurting you.

J ournaling has tons of benefits, whether it be clearing your mind, helping you make decisions, or, yes, building self-confidence. Here are a few journaling prompts to help you build your confidence:

3. Take care of your physical and mental health.

The better you feel, physically and mentally, the more confidence you will have. You can't expect to feel good about yourself when you don't feel good in general. Here are some tips to help you feel your best:

Eat well. Fuel your body with wholesome food so you can feel healthier and more energized. Good nutrition will impact both your mental and physical wellness, allowing you to feel your best!

Move your body. Getting in movement every day will release endorphins (a happy hormone), improve your health, and leave you feeling good in general! Proper exercise will help your body and your confidence.

Therapy. Sometimes, we can all use a little professional help to learn how to navigate our negative thought patterns and build techniques to embrace positive change. Therapy can help you work through many mental health issues, leaving you feeling happier, healthier, and more confident.

Ready To Improve Teen Confidence?

Self-confidence is essential to living a happy and fulfilled life. While it may take some work to build, it isn't impossible. Your confidence will come as you build yourself up through self-love and care. Here, at Washington Psychological Wellness, we here are to help you build your confidence. Our mental health clinicians provide an integrative, holistic, therapeutic approach to treatment and have specialized expertise assisting teens in developing the confidence, tools, and internal motivation needed to live a prospering and healthy life. For more information on teen/adolescent therapy, click here.

Ready to schedule your appointment? Washington Psychological Wellness is here for you!

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How To Develop Self-Confidence as a Teenager | Teen Therapy

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Self-confidence is crucial during the teenage years. To be self-confident is to have assurance in oneself. It means to have high self-esteem and an overall favorable view of one's self-value and worth. When you're a teenager with high self-confidence, you trust your own judgment, capabilities, and skills.

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PBS KIDS Talk About | SELF-CONFIDENCE & DETERMINATION | PBS KIDS

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Wellbeing For Children: Confidence And Self-Esteem

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FREE delivery Tuesday, May 31 if you spend $25 on items shipped by Amazon

Or fastest delivery Friday, May 27. Order within 11 hrs 3 mins

As an alternative, the Kindle eBook is available now and can be read on any device with the free Kindle app. Want to listen? Try Audible.

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I Believe I Can [Byers, Grace, Bobo, Keturah A.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. I Believe I Can

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Do you want your kid(s) to feel more confident and capable?

Every child faces low self-esteem and poor self-confidence at least once in their life. Children are often ready to give up on their goals, especially if they encounter obstacles and challenges. We must support them and teach them to believe in themselves.

Failure is the key to success.

After a series of failures at school, little Leonardo feels sad and disappointed. But, by interacting with his parents, he soon realizes that his superpower is, in fact, his self-confidence.

"I am loved! I can choose! I am brave! I am amazing!" These are just some of the mindful affirmations that will help little Leo to overcome difficult situations.

'Confidence is my superpower' will help your little ones:

believe in themselves and love themselves as they are,

overcome the fear of failure and understand that failures are one step on the path to success,

ace their negative feelings and turn them into positive ones,

look at life from a brighter side and never give up on their goals,

support each other and help those in need.

From the bestselling author of Kindness is my Superpower.

Light rhymes and colorful illustrations will delight your children. In addition, they will enjoy reading this heart-warming story by identifying with the main character and the situations he encounters.

This book is suitable for all ages, ESPECIALLY those looking for their superpower.

Get your copy now!

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Confidence is my Superpower: A Kid's Book about Believing in Yourself and Developing Self-Esteem (My Superpower Books)

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Confidence is my Superpower: A Kid's Book about Believing in Yourself and Developing Self-Esteem (My Superpower Books) [Ortego, Alicia] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Confidence is my Superpower: A Kid's Book about Believing in Yourself and Developing Self-Esteem (My Superpower Books)

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FREE delivery Tuesday, May 31 if you spend $25 on items shipped by Amazon. Order within 11 hrs 6 mins

Or fastest delivery Friday, May 27

As an alternative, the Kindle eBook is available now and can be read on any device with the free Kindle app.

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A Little SPOT of Confidence: A Story About Believing In Yourself

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A Little SPOT of Confidence: A Story About Believing In Yourself: Alber, Diane: 9781951287061: Books: Amazon.com

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Self-esteem is your opinion of yourself. People with healthy self-esteem like themselves and value their achievements. While everyone lacks confidence occasionally, people with low self-esteem feel unhappy or unsatisfied with themselves most of the time. This can be remedied but it takes attention and daily practise to boost self-esteem.

See your doctor for information, advice and referral if you're having trouble improving your self-esteem or if low self-esteem is causing problems such as depression.

Characteristics of low self-esteem

Typically, a person with low self-esteem:

Is extremely critical of themselves

Downplays or ignores their positive qualities

Judges themselves to be inferior to their peers

Uses negative words to describe themselves such as stupid, fat, ugly or unlovable

Has discussions with themselves (this is called 'self talk') that are always negative, critical and self blaming

Assumes that luck plays a large role in all their achievements and doesn't take the credit for them

Blames themselves when things go wrong instead of taking into account other things over which they have no control such as the actions of other people or economic forces

Doesn't believe a person who compliments them.

Low self-esteem and quality of life

A low self-esteem can reduce the quality of a person's life in many different ways, including:

Negative feelings - the constant self-criticism can lead to persistent feelings of sadness, depression, anxiety, anger, shame or guilt.

Relationship problems - for example they may tolerate all sorts of unreasonable behaviour from partners because they believe they must earn love and friendship, cannot be loved or are not loveable. Alternatively, a person with low self-esteem may feel angry and bully other people.

Fear of trying - the person may doubt their abilities or worth and avoid challenges.

Perfectionism - a person may push themselves and become an over-achiever to 'atone' for what they see as their inferiority.

Fear of judgement - they may avoid activities that involve other people, like sports or social events, because they are afraid they will be negatively judged. The person feels self-conscious and stressed around others and constantly looks for 'signs' that people don't like them.

Low resilience - a person with low self-esteem finds it hard to cope with a challenging life event because they already believe themselves to be 'hopeless'.

Lack of self-care - the person may care so little that they neglect or abuse themselves, for example, drink too much alcohol.

Self-harming behaviours - low self-esteem puts the person at increased risk of self-harm, for example, eating disorder, drug abuse or suicide.

If at any time you are worried about your mental health or the mental health of a loved one, call Lifeline 13 11 14.
Causes of low self-esteem

Some of the many causes of low self-esteem may include:

Unhappy childhood where parents (or other significant people such as teachers) were extremely critical

Poor academic performance in school resulting in a lack of confidence

Ongoing stressful life event such as relationship breakdown or financial trouble

Poor treatment from a partner, parent or carer, for example, being in an abusive relationship

Ongoing medical problem such as chronic pain, serious illness or physical disability

Mental illness such as an anxiety disorder or depression.

Seek help for underlying self-esteem problems

Chronic problems can be demoralising and lead to self-esteem issues. Seek professional advice for problems such as relationship breakdown, anxiety disorder or financial worries.

Self-esteem building

Self-esteem is strongly related to how you view and react to the things that happen in your life. Suggestions for building self-esteem include:

Talk to yourself positively - treat yourself as you would your best friend. Be supportive, kind and understanding. Don't be hard on yourself when you make a mistake.

Challenge negative 'self-talk' - every time you criticise yourself, stop and look for objective evidence that the criticism is true. (If you feel you can't be objective, then ask a trusted friend for their opinion.) You'll realise that most of your negative self-talk is unfounded.

Don't compare yourself to others - recognise that everyone is different and that every human life has value in its own right. Make an effort to accept yourself, warts and all.

Acknowledge the positive - for example, don't brush off compliments, dismiss your achievements as 'dumb luck' or ignore your positive traits.

Appreciate your special qualities - remind yourself of your good points every day. Write a list and refer to it often. (If you feel you can't think of anything good about yourself, ask a trusted friend to help you write the list.)

Forget the past - concentrate on living in the here-and-now rather than reliving old hurts and disappointments.

Tell yourself a positive message everyday - buy a set of 'inspirational cards' and start each day reading out a new card and carrying the card's message with you all day.

Stop worrying - 'worry' is simply fretting about the future. Accept that you can't see or change the future and try to keep your thoughts in the here-and-now.

Have fun - schedule enjoyable events and activities into every week.

Exercise - it is such a good boost to the brain for all kinds of things but especially in combatting depression and helping you to feel good. Targets need to be step by step, such as starting with a walk round the block once a day, enrolling at a local gym class or going for a swim.

Be assertive - communicate your needs, wants, feelings, beliefs and opinions to others in a direct and honest manner.

Practise the above suggestions every day - it takes effort and vigilance to replace unhelpful thoughts and behaviours with healthier versions. Give yourself time to establish the new habits. Keep a diary or journal to chart your progress.

Seek out support to build self-esteem

Further ways to build self-esteem include:

Talk to a trusted friend or loved one about your self-esteem issues.

Browse the Better Health Channel for further information.

See your doctor for information, advice and possible referral.

Read books on self-development.

Take a course in personal development.

Discuss your issues and get advice from a trained therapist.

Where to get help

Your doctor

Your local community health centre

Find a GP near you who specialises in mental health issues through the

beyondblue Info Line Tel. 1300 22 4636

Lifeline Tel. 13 11 14

Suicide Helpline Victoria Tel. 1300 651 251

Mental Health Foundation Tel. (03) 9427 0407, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm

Relationships Australia (Victoria) Tel. 1300 364 277

Things to remember

Self-esteem is your opinion of yourself.

Everyone lacks confidence occasionally but people with low self-esteem are unhappy or unsatisfied with themselves most of the time.

It takes attention and daily practice to boost a low self-esteem.

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Self-esteem is your opinion of yourself. People with healthy self-esteem like themselves and value their achievements. While everyone lacks confidence occasionally, people with low self-esteem feel unhappy or unsatisfied with themselves most of the time. This can be remedied but it takes attention and daily practise to boost self-esteem.

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Low self esteem

Having low self-esteem might mean you aren't confident in your abilities, your personality, or the value you bring to others in your life. Low self esteem might be caused by:

not feeling a sense of security in life

doubts about your gender, sexuality, or body

feeling like you don't belong with your family, friends, or colleagues.

Good self esteem

On the contrary, having good self-esteem means you have positive beliefs about your abilities and your place in the world. It can be caused by:

being confident in your ability to create change and withstand challenges in your life

a sense of confidence and pride in your identity

feeling like you belong in your family, school, or group of friends.

What are the 4 components of self-esteem?

Your self-esteem is made up from four attitudes you have about yourself: your confidence, your sense of identity, feeling a sense of belonging and being self-assured in your abilities.

Your self-confidence

Self-confidence is all about your sense of security you have in yourself and in your life. You can only branch out and grow if you feel secure that your needs are being met. Having your needs met means you have things like a place to live, physical health, and stable finances.

Your identity

Your sense of identity is important to your self esteem because it is the knowledge you have about yourself. This can include your confidence in your body, your gender, your sexuality, your job, your beliefs, your culture, or anything else about yourself. It's helpful to be confident in these things because they can help you understand what you need and what you want in life.

Feeling like you belong

Belonging is all about feeling welcome and an active part of where we actually are in life, whether that's in your school, your workplace, your family, or the other groups you're a part of. Sometimes, if you don't feel belonging in one group you're in, like your workplace, you can find your sense of belonging in another group, like your family or friends.

Feeling confident in your abilities

It's important to feel confident in your abilities so that you can control what happens to you in life. If you're confident in what you can do, you can handle big challenges and make the changes you need to make to respond to them. However, being confident in your abilities isn't just about succeeding. It's about learning from your mistakes and being resilient in the face of failure.

Why is self-esteem important?

Self-esteem is important because it is the underlying foundation supporting everything you do, from everyday chores and activities to long-term goals. While everyone occasionally has doubts about themselves, low self-esteem can leave you:

Tips for improving your self esteem

1. Be nice to yourself

That little voice that tells you you're killin' it (or not) is way more powerful than you might think. Make an effort to be kind to yourself and, if you do slip up, try to challenge any negative thoughts. A good rule of thumb is to speak to yourself in the same way that you'd speak to your mates. This can be really hard at first, but practise makes perfect. If you want a few pointers, check out our tips for talking yourself up.
Try: Writing down three things that you like about yourself.
2. You do you

Comparing yourself to other people is a sure-fire way to start feeling crummy. Try to focus on your own goals and achievements, rather than measuring them against someone else's. Nobody needs that kind of pressure!

3. Get movin'

Exercise is a great way to increase motivation, practise setting goals and build confidence. Breaking a sweat also cues the body to release endorphins, the feel-good hormones.

4. Nobody's perfect

Always strive to be the best version of yourself, but it's also important to accept that perfection is an unrealistic goal.

5. Remember that everyone makes mistakes

You've got to make mistakes in order to learn and grow, so try not to beat yourself up if you forget to hit CTRL+S on a super-important assignment. Everyone's been there.

6. Focus on what you can change

It's easy to get hung up on all the things that are out of your control, but it won't achieve much. Instead, try to focus your energy on identifying the things that are within your control and seeing what you can do about them. Read more about how you can accept things that are out of your control.
Try: Writing down one thing that you're not happy with, and three ways you could change it.
7. Do what makes you happy

If you spend time doing the things you enjoy, you're more likely to think positively. Try to schedule in a little you-time every day. Whether that's time spent reading, cooking or just conking out on the couch for a bit, if it makes you happy, make time for it.

8. Celebrate the small stuff

You got up on time this morning. Tick. You poached your eggs to perfection. Winning. Celebrating the small victories is a great way to build confidence and start feeling better about yourself.
Try: Writing down three things you did well at the end of each day.
9. Be a pal

Being helpful and considerate to other people will certainly boost their mood, but it'll also make you feel pretty good about yourself

10. Surround yourself with a supportive squad

Find people who make you feel good about yourself and avoid those who tend to trigger your negative thinking.

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Having low self-esteem might mean you aren't confident in your abilities, your personality, or the value you bring to others in your life. Low self esteem might be caused by: not feeling a sense of security in life doubts about your gender, sexuality, or body feeling like you don't belong with your family, friends, or colleagues.

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What is Self-Esteem? A Psychologist Explains 

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"Believe in yourself."

That is the message that we encounter constantly, in books, television shows, superhero comics, and common myths and legends.

We are told that we can accomplish anything if we believe in ourselves.

Of course, we know that to be untrue; we cannot accomplish anything in the world simply through belief-if that were true, a lot more children would be soaring in the skies above their garage roof instead of lugging around a cast for a few weeks!

However, we know that believing in yourself and accepting yourself for who you are is an important factor in success, relationships, and happiness and that self-esteem plays an important role in living a flourishing life. It provides us with belief in our abilities and the motivation to carry them out, ultimately reaching fulfillment as we navigate life with a positive outlook.

Various studies have confirmed that self-esteem has a direct relationship with our overall wellbeing, and we would do well to keep this fact in mind-both for ourselves and for those around us, particularly the developing children we interact with.

Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our three Self-Compassion Exercises for free. These detailed, science-based exercises will not only help you show more compassion to yourself but will also give you the tools to enhance the self-compassion of your clients, students or employees and lead them to a healthy sense of self-esteem.

What is the Meaning of Self-Esteem?

You probably already have a good idea, but let's start from the beginning anyway: what is self-esteem?

Self-esteem refers to a person's overall sense of his or her value or worth. It can be considered a sort of measure of how much a person "values, approves of, appreciates, prizes, or likes him or herself" (Adler & Stewart, 2004).

According to self-esteem expert Morris Rosenberg, self-esteem is quite simply one's attitude toward oneself (1965). He described it as a "favourable or unfavourable attitude toward the self".

Various factors believed to influence our self-esteem include:

Genetics

Personality

Life experiences

Age

Health

Thoughts

Social circumstances

The reactions of others

Comparing the self to others

An important note is that self-esteem is not fixed. It is malleable and measurable, meaning we can test for and improve upon it.

Self-Esteem and Psychology

Self-esteem has been a hot topic in psychology for decades, going about as far back as psychology itself. Even Freud, who many consider the founding father of psychology (although he's a bit of an estranged father at this point), had theories about self-esteem at the heart of his work.

What self-esteem is, how it develops (or fails to develop) and what influences it has kept psychologists busy for a long time, and there's no sign that we'll have it all figured out anytime soon!

While there is much we still have to learn about self-esteem, we have at least been able to narrow down what self-esteem is and how it differs from other, similar constructs. Read on to learn what sets self-esteem apart from other self-directed traits and states.

Self-Esteem vs. Self-Concept

Self-esteem is not self-concept, although self-esteem may be a part of self-concept. Self-concept is the perception that we have of ourselves, our answer when we ask ourselves the question "Who am I?" It is knowing about one's own tendencies, thoughts, preferences and habits, hobbies, skills, and areas of weakness.

Put simply, the awareness of who we are is our concept of our self.

Purkey (1988) describes self-concept as:

"the totality of a complex, organized, and dynamic system of learned beliefs, attitudes and opinions that each person holds to be true about his or her personal existence".

According to Carl Rogers, founder of client-centered therapy, self-concept is an overarching construct that self-esteem is one of the components of it (McLeod, 2008).

Self-Esteem vs. Self-Image

Another similar term with a different meaning is self-image; self-image is similar to self-concept in that it is all about how you see yourself (McLeod, 2008). Instead of being based on reality, however, it can be based on false and inaccurate thoughts about ourselves. Our self-image may be close to reality or far from it, but it is generally not completely in line with objective reality or with the way others perceive us.

Self-Esteem vs. Self-Worth

Self-esteem is a similar concept to self-worth but with a small (although important) difference: self-esteem is what we think, feel, and believe about ourselves, while self-worth is the more global recognition that we are valuable human beings worthy of love (Hibbert, 2013).

Self-Esteem vs. Self-Confidence

Self-esteem is not self-confidence; self-confidence is about your trust in yourself and your ability to deal with challenges, solve problems, and engage successfully with the world (Burton, 2015). As you probably noted from this description, self-confidence is based more on external measures of success and value than the internal measures that contribute to self-esteem.

One can have high self-confidence, particularly in a certain area or field, but still lack a healthy sense of overall value or self-esteem.

Self-Esteem vs. Self-Efficacy

Similar to self-confidence, self-efficacy is also related to self-esteem but not a proxy for it. Self-efficacy refers to the belief in one's ability to succeed at certain tasks (Neil, 2005). You could have high self-efficacy when it comes to playing basketball, but low self-efficacy when it comes to succeeding in math class.

Unlike self-esteem, self-efficacy is more specific rather than global, and it is based on external success rather than internal worth.

Self-Esteem vs. Self-Compassion

Finally, self-esteem is also not self-compassion. Self-compassion centers on how we relate to ourselves rather than how we judge or perceive ourselves (Neff, n.d.). Being self-compassionate means we are kind and forgiving to ourselves, and that we avoid being harsh or overly critical of ourselves. Self-compassion can lead us to a healthy sense of self-esteem, but it is not in and of itself self-esteem.

We explore this further in The Science of Self-Acceptance Masterclass©.

Esteem in Maslow's Theory - The Hierarchy of Needs

The mention of esteem may bring to mind the fourth level of Maslow's pyramid: esteem needs.

While these needs and the concept of self-esteem are certainly related, Maslow's esteem needs are more focused on external measures of esteem, such as respect, status, recognition, accomplishment, and prestige (McLeod, 2017).

There is a component of self-esteem within this level of the hierarchy, but Maslow felt that the esteem of others was more important for development and need fulfillment than self-esteem.

He explained that for one to achieve self-actualization and grow, their need for inner-respect and esteem from others must be met.

Incorporating Self-Esteem in Positive Psychology

Dr. Martin Seligman has some concerns about openly accepting self-esteem as part of positive psychology. He worries that people live in the world where self-esteem is injected into a person's identity, not caring in how it is done, as long as the image of "confidence" is obtained. He expressed the following in 2006:

I am not against self-esteem, but I believe that self-esteem is just a meter that reads out the state of the system. It is not an end in itself. When you are doing well in school or work, when you are doing well with the people you love, when you are doing well in play, the meter will register high. When you are doing badly, it will register low. (p. v)

Seligman makes a great point, as it is important to take his words into consideration when looking at self-esteem. Self-esteem and positive psychology may not marry quite yet, so it is important to look at what research tells us about self-esteem before we construct a rationale for it as positive psychology researcher, coach, or practitioner.

22 Examples of High Self-Esteem

There are certain characteristics that distinguish how high someone's self-esteem is.

Examples of these characteristics are being open to criticism, acknowledging mistakes, being comfortable with giving and receiving compliments, and displaying a harmony between what one says, does, looks, sounds, and moves.

People with high self-esteem are unafraid to show their curiosity, discuss their experiences, ideas, and opportunities. They can also enjoy the humorous aspects of their lives and are comfortable with social or personal assertiveness (Branden, 1992).

Although low self-esteem has received more attention than high self-esteem, the positive psychology movement has brought high self-esteem into the spotlight. We now know more about what high self-esteem looks like and how it can be cultivated.

We know that people with high self-esteem:

Appreciate themselves and other people.

Enjoy growing as a person and finding fulfillment and meaning in their lives.

Are able to dig deep within themselves and be creative.

Make their own decisions and conform to what others tell them to be and do only when they agree.

See the word in realistic terms, accepting other people the way they are while pushing them toward greater confidence and a more positive direction.

Can easily concentrate on solving problems in their lives.

Have loving and respectful relationships.

Know what their values are and live their lives accordingly.

Speak up and tell others their opinions, calmly and kindly, and share their wants and needs with others.

Endeavor to make a constructive difference in other people's lives (Smith & Harte, n.d.).

We also know that there are some simple ways to tell if you have high self-esteem. For example, you likely have high self-esteem if you:

Act assertively without experiencing any guilt, and feel at ease communicating with others.

Avoid dwelling on the past and focus on the present moment.

Believe you are equal to everyone else, no better and no worse.

Reject the attempts of others to manipulate you.

Recognize and accept a wide range of feelings, both positive and negative, and share them within your healthy relationships.

Enjoy a healthy balance of work, play, and relaxation.

Accept challenges and take risks in order to grow, and learn from your mistakes when you fail.

Handle criticism without taking it personally, with the knowledge that you are learning and growing and that your worth is not dependent on the opinions of others.

Value yourself and communicate well with others, without fear of expressing your likes, dislikes, and feelings.

Value others and accept them as they are without trying to change them (Self Esteem Awareness, n.d.).

Based on these characteristics, we can come up with some good examples of what high self-esteem looks like.

Imagine a high-achieving student who takes a difficult exam and earns a failing grade. If she has high self-esteem, she will likely chalk up her failure to factors like not studying hard enough, a particularly difficult set of questions, or simply having an "off" day. What she doesn't do is conclude that she must be stupid and that she will probably fail all future tests too.

Having a healthy sense of self-esteem guides her toward accepting reality, thinking critically about why she failed, and problem-solving instead of wallowing in self-pity or giving up.

For a second example, think about a young man out on a first date. He really likes the young woman he is going out with, so he is eager to make a good impression and connect with her. Over the course of their discussion on the date, he learns that she is motivated and driven by completely different values and has very different taste in almost everything.

Instead of going along with her expressed opinions on things, he offers up his own views and isn't afraid to disagree with her. His high self-esteem makes him stay true to his values and allows him to easily communicate with others, even when they don't agree. To him, it is more important to behave authentically than to focus on getting his date to like him.

23 Examples of Self-Esteem Issues

Here are 23 examples of issues that can manifest from low self-esteem:

You people please

You're easily angered or irritated

You feel your opinion isn't important

You hate you

What you do is never good enough

You're highly sensitive to others opinions

The world doesn't feel safe

You doubt every decision

You regularly experience the emotions of sadness and worthlessness

You find it hard keeping relationships

You avoid taking risks or trying new things

You engage in addictive avoidance behaviors

You struggle with confidence

You find it difficult creating boundaries

You give more attention to your weaknesses

You are often unsure of who you are

You feel negative experiences are all consuming

You struggle to say no

You find it difficult asking for your needs to be met

You hold a pessimistic or negative outlook on life

You doubt your abilities or chances of success

You frequently experience negative emotions, such as fear, anxiety or depression

You compare yourself with others and often you come in second best

18 Surprising Statistics and Facts about Self-Esteem

It can be hard to really wrap your mind around self-esteem and why it is so important. To help you out, we've gathered a list of some of the most significant and relevant findings about self-esteem and low self-esteem in particular.

Although some of these facts may make sense to you, you will likely find that at least one or two surprise you-specifically those pertaining to the depth and breadth of low self-esteem in people (and particularly young people and girls).

The facts:

Adolescent boys with high self-esteem are almost two and a half times more likely to initiate sex than boys with low self-esteem, while girls with high self-esteem are three times more likely to delay sex than girls with low self-esteem (Spencer, Zimet, Aalsma, & Orr, 2002).

Low self-esteem is linked to violence, school dropout rates, teenage pregnancy, suicide, and low academic achievement (Misetich & Delis-Abrams, 2003).

About 44% of girls and 15% of boys in high school are attempting to lose weight (Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, n.d.).

Seven in 10 girls believe that they are not good enough or don't measure up in some way (Dove Self-Esteem Fund, 2008).

A girl's self-esteem is more strongly related to how she views her own body shape and body weight than how much she actually weighs (Dove Self-Esteem Fund, 2008).

Nearly all women (90%) want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance (Confidence Coalition, n.d.).

The vast majority (81%) of 10-year old girls are afraid of being fat (Confidence Coalition, n.d.).

About one in four college-age women have an eating disorder (Confidence Coalition, n.d.).

Only 2% of women think they are beautiful (Confidence Coalition, n.d.).

Absent fathers, poverty, and a low-quality home environment have a negative impact on self-esteem (Orth, 2018).

These facts on low self-esteem are alarming and disheartening, but thankfully they don't represent the whole story. The whole story shows that there are many people with a healthy sense of self-esteem, and they enjoy some great benefits and advantages. For instance, people with healthy self-esteem:

Are less critical of themselves and others.

Are better able to handle stress and avoid the unhealthy side effects of stress.

Are less likely to develop an eating disorder.

Are less likely to feel worthless, guilty, and ashamed.

Are more likely to be assertive about expressing and getting what they want.

Are able to build strong, honest relationships and are more likely to leave unhealthy ones.

Are more confident in their ability to make good decisions.

Are more resilient and able to bounce back when faced with disappointment, failure, and obstacles (Allegiance Health, 2015).

Given the facts on the sad state of self-esteem in society and the positive outcomes associated with high self-esteem, it seems clear that looking into how self-esteem can be built is a worthwhile endeavor.

Relevant Research

Luckily, there are many researchers who have tackled this topic. Numerous studies have shown us that it is possible to build self-esteem, especially in children and young people.

How? There are many ways!

Recent research found a correlation between self-esteem and optimism with university students from Brazil (Bastianello, Pacico & Hutz & 2014). One of the most interesting results came from a cross-cultural research on life satisfaction and self-esteem, which was conducted in 31 countries.

They found differences in self-esteem between collective and individualistic cultures with self-esteem being lower in collectivist cultures. Expressing personal emotions, attitudes, and cognitive thoughts are highly associated with self-esteem, collectivist cultures seem to have a drop in self-esteem because of a lack of those characteristics (Diener & Diener 1995).

China, a collectivist culture, found that self-esteem was a significant predictor of life satisfaction (Chen, Cheung, Bond & Leung, 2006). They found that similar to other collectivist cultures, self-esteem also had an effect on resilience with teenagers. Teenagers with low self-esteem had a higher sense of hopelessness and had low resilience (Karatas, 2011).

In more individualistic cultures, teenagers who were taught to depend on their beliefs, behaviors, and felt open to expressing their opinion had more resilience and higher self-esteem (Dumont & Provost, 1999).

School-based programs that pair students with mentors and focus on relationships, building, self-esteem enhancements, goal setting, and academic assistance have been proven to enhance students' self-esteem, improve relationships with others, reduce depression and bullying behaviors (King, Vidourek, Davis, & McClellan, 2009).

Similarly, elementary school programs that focus on improving self-esteem through short, classroom-based sessions also have a positive impact on students' self-esteem, as well as reducing problem behaviors and strengthening connections between peers (Park & Park, 2014).

However, the potential to boost your self-esteem and reap the benefits is not limited to students! Adults can get in on this endeavour as well, although the onus will be on them to make the changes necessary.

Self-esteem researcher and expert Dr. John M. Grohol outlined six practical tips on how to increase your sense of self-esteem, which include:

6 Practical Tips on How to Increase Self-Esteem

1. Take a self-esteem inventory to give yourself a baseline.

It can be as simple as writing down 10 of your strengths and 10 of your weaknesses. This will help you to begin developing an honest and realistic conception of yourself.

2. Set realistic expectations.

It's important to set small, reachable goals that are within your power. For example, setting an extremely high expectation or an expectation that someone else will change their behavior is virtually guaranteed to make you feel like a failure, through no fault of your own.

3. Stop being a perfectionist.

Acknowledge both your accomplishments and mistakes. Nobody is perfect, and trying to be will only lead to disappointment. Acknowledging your accomplishments and recognizing your mistakes is the way to keep a positive outlook while learning and growing from your mistakes.

4. Explore yourself.

The importance of knowing yourself and being at peace with who you are cannot be overstated. This can take some trial and error, and you will constantly learn new things about yourself, but it is a journey that should be undertaken with purpose and zeal.

5. Be willing to adjust your self-image.

We all change as we age and grow, and we must keep up with our ever-changing selves if we want to set and achieve meaningful goals.

6. Stop comparing yourself to others.

Comparing ourselves to others is a trap that is extremely easy to fall into, especially today with social media and the ability to project a polished, perfected appearance. The only person you should compare yourself to is you (Grohol, 2011).

The Positivity Blog also offers some helpful tips on enhancing your self-esteem, including:

Say "stop" to your inner critic.

Use healthier motivation habits.

Take a 2-minute self-appreciation break.

Write down 3 things in the evening that you can appreciate about yourself.

Do the right thing.

Replace the perfectionism.

Handle mistakes and failures in a more positive way.

Be kinder towards other people.

Try something new.

Stop falling into the comparison trap.

Spend more time with supportive people (and less time with destructive people).

Remember the "whys" of high self-esteem (Edberg, 2017).

Another list of specific, practical things you can do to develop and maintain a good sense of self-esteem comes from the Entrepreneur website:

Use distancing pronouns. When you are experiencing stress or negative self-talk, try putting it in more distant terms (e.g., instead of saying "I am feeling ashamed," try saying "Courtney is feeling ashamed."). This can help you to see the situation as a challenge rather than a threat.

Remind yourself of your achievements. The best way to overcome imposter syndrome-the belief that, despite all of your accomplishments, you are a failure and a fraud-is to list all of your personal successes. You might be able to explain a couple of them away as a chance, but they can't all be due to luck!

Move more! This can be as simple as a short walk or as intense as a several-mile run, as quick as striking a "power pose" or as long as a two-hour yoga session; it doesn't matter exactly what you do, just that you get more in touch with your body and improve both your health and your confidence.

Use the "five-second" rule. No, not the one about food that is dropped on the ground! This five-second rule is about following up good thoughts and inspiring ideas with action. Do something to make that great idea happen within five seconds.

Practice visualizing your success. Close your eyes and take a few minutes to imagine the scenario in which you have reached your goals, using all five senses and paying attention to the details.

Be prepared-for whatever situation you are about to encounter. If you are going into a job interview, make sure you have practiced, know about the company, and have some good questions ready to ask. If you are going on a date, take some time to boost your confidence, dress well, and have a plan A and a plan B (and maybe even a plan C!) to make sure it goes well.

Limit your usage of social media. Spend less time looking at a screen and more time experiencing the world around you.

Meditate. Establish a regular meditation practice to inspect your thoughts, observe them, and separate yourself from them. Cultivating a sense of inner peace will go a long way towards developing healthy self-esteem.

Keep your goals a secret. You don't need to keep all of your hopes and dreams to yourself, but make sure you save some of your goal striving and success for just you-it can make you more likely to meet them and also more satisfied when you do.

Practice affirmations (like the ones listed later in this piece). Make time to regularly say positive things about yourself and situations in which you often feel uncertain.

Build your confidence through failure. Use failure as an opportunity to learn and grow, and seek out failure by trying new things and taking calculated risks (Laurinavicius, 2017).

Now that we have a good idea of how to improve self-esteem, there is an important caveat to the topic: many of the characteristics and factors that we believe result from self-esteem may also influence one's sense of self-esteem, and vice versa.

For example, although we recommend improving self-esteem to positively impact grades or work performance, success in these areas is at least somewhat dependent on self-esteem as well.

Similarly, those who have a healthy level of self-esteem are more likely to have positive relationships, but those with positive relationships are also more likely to have healthy self-esteem, likely because the relationship works in both directions.

While there is nothing wrong with boosting your self-esteem, keep in mind that in some cases you may be putting the cart before the horse, and commit to developing yourself in several areas rather than just working on enhancing your self-esteem.

Can We Help Boost Self-Esteem Issues with Therapy and Counseling?

Based on research like that described above, we have learned that there are many ways therapy and counseling can help clients to improve their self-esteem.

If done correctly, therapy can be an excellent method of enhancing self-esteem, especially if it's low to begin with.

Here are some of the ways therapy and counseling can a client's boost self-esteem:

When a client shares their inner thoughts and feelings with the therapist, and the therapist responds with acceptance and compassion rather than judgment or correction, this can build the foundations of healthy self-esteem for the client.

This continued acceptance and unconditional positive regard encourage the client to re-think some of their assumptions, and come to the conclusion that "Maybe there's nothing wrong with me after all!"

The therapist can explain that self-esteem is a belief rather than a fact and that beliefs are based on our experiences; this can help the client understand that he could be exactly the same person as he is right now and have high self-esteem instead of low, if he had different experiences that cultivated a sense of high self-esteem instead of low self-esteem.

The therapist can offer the client new experiences upon which to base this new belief about herself, experiences in which the client is "basically acceptable" instead of "basically wrong." The therapist's acceptance of the client can act as a model for the client of how she can accept herself.

Most importantly, the therapist can accept the client for who he is and affirm his thoughts and feelings as acceptable rather than criticizing him for them. The therapist does not need to approve of each and every action taken by the client, but showing acceptance and approval of who he is at the deepest level will have an extremely positive impact on his own belief in his worth and value as a person (Gilbertson, 2016).

Following these guidelines will encourage your client to develop a better sense of self-love, self-worth, self-acceptance, and self-esteem, as well as discouraging "needless shame" and learning how to separate herself from her behavior (Gilbertson, 2016).

The Benefits of Developing Self-Esteem with Meditation

Besides clinical interventions, there are also things people can do on their own to boost their self-esteem.

One of these methods is meditation-yes, you can add yet another benefit of meditation to the list! However, not only can we develop self-esteem through meditation, we also gain some other important benefits.

When we meditate, we cultivate our ability to let go and to keep our thoughts and feelings in perspective. We learn to simply observe instead of actively participate in every little experience that pops into our head. In other words, we are "loosening the grip we have on our sense of self" (Puddicombe, 2015).

While this may sound counterintuitive to developing and maintaining a positive sense of self, it is actually a great way to approach it. Through meditation, we gain the ability to become aware of our inner experiences without over-identifying with them, letting our thoughts pass by without judgment or a strong emotional response.

As meditation expert Andy Puddicombe notes, low self-esteem can be understood as the result of over-identification with the self. When we get overly wrapped up in our sense of self, whether that occurs with a focus on the positive (I'm the BEST) or the negative (I'm the WORST), we place too much importance on it. We may even get obsessive about the self, going over every little word, thought, or feeling that enters our mind.

A regular meditation practice can boost your self-esteem by helping you to let go of your preoccupation with your self, freeing you from being controlled by the thoughts and feelings your self-experiences.

When you have the ability to step back and observe a disturbing or self-deprecating thought, it suddenly doesn't have as much power over you as it used to; this deidentification with the negative thoughts you have about yourself results in less negative talk over time and freedom from your overly critical inner voice (Puddicombe, 2015).

Can You Test Self-Esteem, and What are the Problems with Assessment?

Self-esteem is the topic of many a psychological scale and assessment, and many of them are valid, reliable, and very popular among researchers; however, these assessments are not perfect. There are a few problems and considerations you should take into account if you want to measure self-esteem, including:

Lack of consensus on the definition (Demo, 1985).

Overall gender differences in self-esteem (Bingham, 1983).

Too many instruments for assessing self-esteem, and low correlations between them (Demo, 1985).

The unexplained variance between self-reports and inferred measures such as ratings by others (Demo, 1985).

Although these issues are certainly not unique to the measurement of self-esteem, one should approach the assessment of self-esteem with multiple measurement methods in hand, with the appropriate level of caution, or both.

Still, even though there are various issues with the measurement of self-esteem, avoiding the measurement is not an option! If you are looking to measure self-esteem and worried about finding a validated scale, look no further than one of the foundations of self-esteem research: Rosenberg's scale.

Measuring Self-Esteem with the Rosenberg Scale

The most common scale of self-esteem is Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (also called the RSE and sometimes the SES). This scale was developed by Rosenberg and presented in his 1965 book Society and the Adolescent Self-Image.

It contains 10 items rated on a scale from 1 (strongly agree) to 4 (strongly disagree). Some of the items are reverse-scored, and the total score can be calculated by summing up the total points for an overall measure of self-esteem (although it can also be scored in a different, more complex manner-see page 61 of this PDF for instructions).

The 10 items are:

1. On the whole, I am satisfied with myself.
2. At times I think I am no good at all.
3. I feel that I have a number of good qualities.
4. I am able to do things as well as most other people.
5. I feel I do not have much to be proud of.
6. I certainly feel useless at times.
7. I feel that I'm a person of worth.
8. I wish I could have more respect for myself.
9. All in all, I am inclined to think that I am a failure.
10. I take a positive attitude toward myself.

As you likely figured out already, items 2, 5, 6, 8, and 9 are reverse-scored, while the other items are scored normally. This creates a single score of between 10 and 40 points, with lower scores indicating higher self-esteem. Put another way, higher scores indicate a strong sense of low self-esteem.

The scale is considered highly consistent and reliable, and scores correlate highly with other measures of self-esteem and negatively with measures of depression and anxiety. It has been used by thousands of researchers throughout the years and is still in use today, making it one of the most-cited scales ever developed.

The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (1967/1981)

The second most commonly used reliable and valid measure for self-esteem is The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory. Within this test, 50 items are included to measure the test-takes attitudes towards themselves, by responding to statements with the selection of "like me" or "not like me" (Robinson, Shaver & Wrightsman, 2010).

Initially created to test the self-esteem of children, it was later altered by Ryden (1978) and now two separate versions exist; one for children and one for adults.

Find out more about taking this test here.

17 Factors That Influence Self-Esteem

It might be quicker to list what factors don't influence self-esteem than to identify which factors do influence it! As you might expect, self-esteem is a complex construct and there are many factors that contribute to it, whether positively or negatively.

For a quick sample of some of the many factors that are known to influence self-esteem, check out this list:

Commitment to the worker, spouse, and parental role are positively linked to self-esteem (Reitzes & Mutran, 1994).

Worker identity meaning is positively related to self-esteem (Reitzes & Mutran, 2006).

Being married and older is linked to lower self-esteem (Reitzes & Mutran, 2006).

Higher education and higher income are related to higher self-esteem (Reitzes & Mutran, 2006).

Low socioeconomic status and low self-esteem are related (von Soest, Wagner, Hansen, & Gerstorf, 2018).

Living alone (without a significant other) is linked to low self-esteem (van Soest et al., 2018).

Unemployment and disability contribute to lower self-esteem (van Soest et al., 2018).

A more mature personality and emotional stability are linked to higher self-esteem (van Soest et al., 2018).

Social norms (the importance of friends' and family members' opinions) about one's body and exercise habits are negatively linked to self-esteem, while exercise self-efficacy and self-fulfillment are positively linked to self-esteem (Chang & Suttikun, 2017).

If you're thinking that an important technological factor is missing, go on to the next section and see if you're right!

The Effects of Social Media

Although you may have found some of the findings on self-esteem covered earlier surprising, you will most likely expect this one: studies suggest that social media usage negatively impacts self-esteem (Friedlander, 2016).

This effect is easy to understand. Humans are social creatures and need interaction with others to stay healthy and happy; however, we also use those around us as comparisons to measure and track our own progress in work, relationships, and life in general. Social media makes these comparisons easier than ever, but they give this tendency to compare a dark twist.

What we see on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter is not representative of real life. It is often carefully curated and painstakingly presented to give the best possible impression.

We rarely see the sadness, the failure, and the disappointment that accompanies everyday human life; instead, we see a perfect picture, a timeline full of only good news, and short blurbs about achievements, accomplishments, and happiness.

Although this social comparison with unattainable standards is clearly a bad habit to get into, social media is not necessarily a death knell for your self-esteem. Moderate social media usage complemented by frequent self-reminders that we are often only seeing the very best in others can allow us to use social media posts as inspiration and motivation rather than unhealthy comparison.

You don't need to give up social media for good in order to maintain a healthy sense of self-esteem-just use it mindfully and keep it in the right perspective!

30 Tips & Affirmations for Enhancing Self-Esteem

By viewing self-esteem as a muscle to grow we establish a world of new opportunities. No longer do we have to view ourselves in the same light.

Use these 10 tips to strengthen the attitudes towards yourself:

1. Spend time with people who lift you up
2. Giveback by helping others
3. Celebrate your achievements, no matter the size
4. Do what makes you happy
5. Change what you can - and let go of what you can't
6. Let go of perfectionism ideals
7. Speak to yourself like a friend
8. Get involved in extra-curricula's
9. Own your uniqueness
10. Create a positive self-dialogue.

Influential American author, Jack Canfield explains "Daily affirmations are to the mind what exercise is to the body." (watch this YouTube clip).

Affirmations are a great way to boost your self-esteem and, in turn, your overall wellbeing. There are tons of examples of affirmations you can use for this purpose, including these 17 from Develop Good Habits:

Mistakes are a stepping stone to success. They are the path I must tread to achieve my dreams.

I will continue to learn and grow.

Mistakes are just an apprenticeship to achievement.

I deserve to be happy and successful.

I deserve a good life. I deny any need for suffering and misery.

I am competent, smart, and able.

I am growing and changing for the better.

I love the person I am becoming.

I believe in my skills and abilities.

I have great ideas. I make useful contributions.

I acknowledge my own self-worth; my self-confidence is rising.

I am worthy of all the good things that happen in my life.

I am confident with my life plan and the way things are going.

I deserve the love I am given.

I let go of the negative feelings about myself and accept all that is good.

I will stand by my decisions. They are sound and reasoned.

I have, or can quickly get, all the knowledge I need to succeed.

If none of these leap out and inspire you, you can always create your own! Just keep in mind these three simple rules for creating effective affirmations:

The affirmations should be in the present tense. They must affirm your value and worth right here, right now (e.g., not "I will do better tomorrow" but "I am doing great today.").

The affirmations should be positively worded. They should not deny or reject anything (i.e., "I am not a loser."), but make a firm statement (e.g., "I am a worthy person.").

The affirmations should make you feel good and put you in a positive light. They should not be empty words and they should be relevant to your life (e.g., "I am a world-class skier" is relevant if you ski, but is not a good affirmation if you don't ski.).

Use these three rules to put together some positive, uplifting, and encouraging affirmations that you can repeat as often as needed-but aim for at least once a day.

Popular Books on Self-Esteem (PDF)

There are many, many books available on self-esteem: what it is, what influences it, how it can be developed, and how it can be encouraged in others (particularly children). Here is just a sample of some of the most popular and well-received books on self-esteem:

Self-Esteem: A Proven Program of Cognitive Techniques for Assessing, Improving, and Maintaining Your Self-Esteem by Matthew McKay, PhD (Amazon)

The Self-Esteem Guided Journal by Matthew McKay & C. Sutker (Amazon)

Ten Days to Self-Esteem by David D. Burns, MD (Amazon)

The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem: The Definitive Work on Self-Esteem by the Leading Pioneer in the Field by Nathanial Branden (if you're not a big reader, check out the animated book review video below) (Amazon)

The Self-Esteem Workbook by Glenn R. Schiraldi, PhD (Amazon)

The Self-Esteem Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help You Build Confidence and Achieve Your Goals by Lisa M. Schab, LCSW (Amazon)

Believing in Myself by E Larsen & C Hegarty. (Amazon)

Being Me: A Kid's Guide to Boosting Confidence and Self-Esteem by Wendy L. Moss, PhD (Amazon)

Healing Your Emotional Self: A Powerful Program to Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem, Quiet Your Inner Critic, and Overcome Your Shame by Beverly Engel (Amazon)

Plus, here's a bonus-a free PDF version of Nathaniel Branden's The Psychology of Self-Esteem: A Revolutionary Approach to Self-Understanding That Launched a New Era in Modern Psychology.

TED Talks and Videos on Self-Esteem

If reading is not a preferred method of learning more, fear not! There are some great YouTube videos and TED Talks on self-esteem. A few of the most popular and most impactful are included here.

Why Thinking You're Ugly is Bad for You by Meaghan Ramsey

This TED talk is all about the importance of self-esteem and the impact of negative self-esteem, especially on young people and girls. Ramsey notes that low self-esteem impacts physical as well as mental health, the work we do, and our overall finances as we chase the perfect body, the perfect face, or the perfect hair. She ends by outlining the six areas addressed by effective self-esteem programs:

The influence of family, friends, and relationships

The media and celebrity culture

How to handle teasing and bullying

The way we compete and compare ourselves with others

The way we talk about appearance

The foundations of respecting and caring for yourself

Meet Yourself: A User's Guide to Building Self-Esteem by Niko Everett

Another great TEDx Talk comes from the founder of the Girls for Change organization, Niko Everett. In this talk, she goes over the power of self-knowledge, self-acceptance, and self-love. She highlights the importance of the thoughts we have about ourselves and the impact they have on our self-esteem and shares some techniques to help both children and adults enhance their self-esteem.

Self-Esteem - Understanding & Fixing Low Self-Esteem by Actualized.org

This video from Leo Gura at Actualized.org defines self-esteem, describes the elements of self-esteem, and the factors that influence self-esteem. He shares why self-esteem is important and how it can be developed and enhanced.

How to Build Self Esteem - The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Branden Animated Book Review by FightMediocrity

This quick, 6-minute video on self-esteem outlines what author Nathaniel Branden sees as the "Six Pillars" of self-esteem:

The practice of living consciously
Be aware of your daily activities and relationship with others, insecure reflections, and also personal priorities.

The practice of self-acceptance
This includes becoming aware and accepting the best and the worst parts of you and also the disowned parts of ourselves.

The practice of self-responsibility
This implies realizing that you are responsible for your choices and actions.

The practice of self-assertiveness
Act through your real convictions and feelings as much as possible.

The practice of living purposefully
Achieve personal goals that energize your existence.

The practice of personal integrity
Don't compensate your ideals, beliefs, and behaviors for a result that leads to incongruence. When your behaviors are congruent with your ideals, integrity will appear.

The speaker provides a definition and example of each of the six pillars and finishes the video by emphasizing the first two words of each pillar: "The Practice." These words highlight that the effort applied to building self-esteem is, in fact, the most important factor in developing self-esteem.

15 Quotes on Self-Esteem

Sometimes all you need to get to work on bettering yourself is an inspirational quote. The value of quotes is subjective, so these may not all resonate with you, but hopefully, you will find that at least one or two lights that spark within you!

"You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."

Sharon Salzberg

"The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself."

Michel de Montaigne

"The man who does not value himself, cannot value anything or anyone."

Ayn Rand

"Dare to love yourself as if you were a rainbow with gold at both ends."

Aberjhani

"As long as you look for someone else to validate who you are by seeking their approval, you are setting yourself up for disaster. You have to be whole and complete in yourself. No one can give you that. You have to know who you are-what others say is irrelevant."

Nic Sheff

"I don't want everyone to like me; I should think less of myself if some people did."

Henry James

"Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn't worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens."

Louise L. Hay

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?"

Marianne Williamson

"I don't entirely approve of some of the things I have done, or am, or have been. But I'm me. God knows, I'm me."

Marianne Williamson

"To me, self-esteem is not self-love. It is self-acknowledgement, as in recognizing and accepting who you are."

Amity Gaige

"Self-esteem is as important to our well-being as legs are to a table. It is essential for physical and mental health and for happiness."

Louise Hart

"Self-esteem is made up primarily of two things: feeling lovable and feeling capable. Lovable means I feel people want to be with me. They invite me to parties; they affirm I have the qualities necessary to be included. Feeling capable is knowing that I can produce a result. It's knowing I can handle anything that life hands me."

Jack Canfield

"You can't let someone else lower your self-esteem, because that's what it is-self-esteem. You need to first love yourself before you have anybody else love you."

Winnie Harlow

"A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval."

Mark Twain

"Our self-respect tracks our choices. Every time we act in harmony with our authentic self and our heart, we earn our respect. It is that simple. Every choice matters."

Dan Coppersmith

A Take-Home Message

We hope you enjoyed this opportunity to learn about self-esteem! If you take only one important lesson away from this piece, make sure it's this one: you absolutely can build your own self-esteem, and you can have a big impact on the self-esteem of those you love.

Self-esteem is not a panacea-it will not fix all of your problems or help you sail smoothly through a life free of struggle and suffering-but it will help you find the courage to try new things, build the resilience to bounce back from failure, and make you more susceptible to success.

It is something we have to continually work towards, but it's absolutely achievable.

Stay committed.

Keep aware of your internal thoughts and external surroundings. Keep focused on your personal goals and all that is possible when self-doubt isn't holding you back.

What are your thoughts on self-esteem in psychology? Should we be encouraging it more? Less? Is there an "ideal amount" of self-esteem? We'd love to hear from you! Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

You can read more about self-esteem worksheets and exercises for adults and teens here.

Thanks for reading!

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don't forget to download our three Self Compassion Exercises for free.

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What is Self-Esteem? A Psychologist Explains

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What is self-esteem? How do we grow it? In this piece, we cover a definition, examples, research, books, and more.

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Your level of self-esteem has to do with how worthwhile you feel.

It’s different from self-confidence, which has more to do with your ability to do something successfully.

Low self-esteem can keep you from enjoying your life. It can also keep you from socializing and maintaining friendships.

Self-esteem is one of those intrinsic qualities that develop slowly over time. Those with low self-esteem might lack certain social skills, lack assertiveness, or even walk into a room with their shoulders slumped. Body language can sometimes be an indicator of how much self-esteem a person genuinely has.

Those who walk into a room with a big smile and a confident, humble demeanor radiate confidence. These are qualities of someone with high self-esteem.

In this article, we will explore what self-esteem is, its origins and roots, as well as some helpful tools and worksheets.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Self-Compassion Exercises for free. These detailed, science-based exercises will not only help you increase the compassion and kindness you show yourself but will also give you the tools to help your clients, students, or employees show more compassion to themselves.

This Article Contains:

What Is Self-Esteem Theory?

How Can Therapy Be Used to Build Self-Esteem?

A Look at Self-Esteem Interventions

8 Examples of Self-Esteem Issues

Common Questions on the Topic

8 Skills and Techniques to Add to Your Arsenal

How We Can Build Self-Esteem in Kids

A Self-Esteem Building Activity and Exercise

Useful Self-Esteem Tools (incl. PDF)

An Assessment and Questionnaire

A Take-Home Message

References

What Is Self-Esteem Theory?

Everyone wants to have high self-esteem, but it is a very complex concept. Self-esteem has to do with your ideas about yourself. Those with low self-esteem often have a more negative view of themselves and their abilities. Certain events in life can also cause your self-esteem to plummet.

Many things, including your upbringing, influence your self-esteem. It is based on how much you value yourself and how confident you feel in your mind. Self-confidence is more about having confidence in your ability to do something successfully.

In a nutshell, self-esteem is all about feeling worthy and having a high opinion of yourself. It influences everything in your life.

William James is thought of as the creator of the self-esteem movement (Hewitt, 2005).

James used a straightforward formula for defining self-esteem:

Self-esteem equals success divided by our pretensions

Pretensions refer to our goals, values, and those things we believe about our potential. If our level of success exceeds our expectations, then we might view ourselves as successful and feel good about ourselves, which raises our self-esteem.

On the other hand, if our achievements are low and our expectations are high, then we may see ourselves as a failure.

Stanley Coopersmith was also a leader in the study of self-esteem. He believed that self-esteem begins early in life in childhood.

Coopersmith also believed that our self-esteem builds up or declines throughout our lives, based on our early childhood experiences, which may be positive or negative.

Morris Rosenberg, a contemporary of Coopersmith, studied the development of self-esteem, focusing on the adolescent years.

Rosenberg believed that self-esteem tended to develop more in the adolescent years, which are uncertain for many. His theory of self-esteem was based upon the idea that during adolescence, we often compare ourselves to others, which causes us to continually evaluate and re-evaluate how others see us and think about us.

Contemporary theories are based on the role self-esteem plays in our lives and our psychological wellbeing.

How Can Therapy Be Used to Build Self-Esteem?

Self-esteem typically refers to how we think about ourselves. In essence, it is an aggregate of thoughts as we examine how confident we are.

Those who have low levels of self-esteem often engage in excessive self-criticism. This can result in other psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety.

Therapy, like Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), can be an effective treatment for some. CBT is a brief, problem-focused therapy that targets the problems that are occurring in the present moment, as opposed to focusing on the past or childhood memories (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles, n.d.).

CBT is one of the most researched treatment modalities when it comes to helping build self-esteem.

A Look at Self-Esteem Interventions

Dialectical Behavior Therapy, created by Marsha Linehan, can also be very effective for helping to build self-esteem. The FAST acronym (Linehan, 1993) is a useful approach for steps you can take to make daily choices to build your self-esteem. Each of us has many choices throughout the day that we can make to build our self-esteem.

Making healthy choices requires awareness of our actions, followed by making conscious and intentional choices (Optimum Performance Institute, n.d.).

FAST Acronym

F – Be fair to yourself as well as other people. It’s important to learn that your needs are just as important as someone else’s. This is also about being assertive and learning to speak your truth.
A – No apologies. Don’t be overly apologetic. Don’t apologize for having an opinion or disagreeing with others.
S – Stick to your values and don’t compromise or abandon your values trying to please others or conform.
T – Be truthful and don’t make excuses. Be honest and don’t exaggerate or tell little white lies,

Therapies like CBT and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing can be useful for treating low self-esteem in patients with a wide range of psychiatric disorders in secondary mental healthcare (Griffioen, van der Vegt, de Groot, & de Jongh, 2017).

This particular study examined patients already diagnosed with an Axis I or II disorder, and patients who had low self-esteem.

8 Examples of Self-Esteem Issues

There are, of course, many issues that are related to self-esteem. Those with low self-esteem often see themselves as failures, and they might also feel sad, angry, or worthless.

According to Webber (2019), low self-esteem can affect everything in your life, from your relationships to your career.

Some common examples of low self-esteem might include:

Hating yourself or feeling angry or frustrated about who you are

Being obsessed with being perfect

Hating your body

Feeling worthless

Being overly sensitive

Feeling anxious and fearful

Constantly feeling angry

Trying to be a people pleaser

Those who hate themselves or loathe themselves often feel angry or frustrated about who they are. Self-hate means you have difficulty forgiving yourself for even the smallest things.

To silence that inner critic, you have to start replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. You also have to practice forgiveness and challenge those negative self-beliefs.

Being obsessed with being perfect can also rob you of self-esteem. For those who continuously try to be perfect, it’s essential to set realistic expectations and recognize that failure is something that happens on occasion. It’s not something we are.

Hating your body is another common sign of low self-esteem. Those who hate their bodies constantly compare themselves to others and have a negative body image. This can even keep someone from living a healthy lifestyle. To combat this, it’s crucial to stop the comparison and realize that you and your body are unique.

Those with low self-esteem might also think they bring nothing to life. They may not see themselves as valuable. Taking the time to focus on your talents and abilities can go a long way toward boosting your self-esteem.

Feeling overly sensitive is another common sign of low self-esteem. Learning to desensitize is essential for someone experiencing this. By standing up for yourself and being proactive, it is possible to calm this tendency.

Feeling anxious and fearful or constantly feeling angry are other common traits of low self-esteem. Challenging your anxieties and fears with facts can help combat this.

Try drawing up a fear pyramid by placing your biggest fear or anxiety at the top and your smallest one at the bottom. As you examine this pyramid, you can work your way up, taking on each fear or anxiety as you go.

Being a people pleaser is certainly not conducive to having high self-esteem either. Learning how to say no and taking the time to understand that people like you and love you for who you are can help override this tendency. It’s also important to set limits so that you don’t get taken advantage of by others.

Common Questions on the Topic

One of the most common questions about self-esteem is “How can you tell the difference between self-confidence and self-esteem?”

Self-confidence is about having confidence in your ability to do something. Being self-confident means trusting in yourself and your abilities. Someone who is self-confident can rise to the challenge and seize new opportunities. For example, you can feel confident about your work or your ability as a chef, but still lack self-esteem.

Self-esteem, as we have seen, has to do with your emotional appraisal of your own worth. This feeling can develop over a lifetime, causing a multitude of problems, from bad relationships to feeling belittled by people.

Another common question is “What influences self-esteem?”

There may be many reasons for low self-esteem:

Age

Body type

Gender

Mental health status

Race and ethnicity

Sexual orientation

Research reveals that self-esteem tends to increase from adolescence to middle age. However, it starts to decline again around the age of 60, which may have to do with physical health or financial concerns

Women tend to report lower levels of self-esteem than men, a trend more prevalent in Western cultures.

According to a 2012 study, humor, community involvement, and positive in-group stereotyping were linked to higher levels of self-esteem (Ilic et al., 2012).

Children who are obese or overweight frequently experience bullying and lower levels of self-esteem as well (Danielsen et al., 2012).

Among adolescent students, Asian-Americans tend to have the lowest self-esteem, followed by Hispanics and then whites. African-American students had the highest self-esteem (Bachman, O’Malley, Freedman-Doan, Trzesniewski, & Donnellan, 2011).

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender adolescents also tend to have lower self-esteem brought on by bullying (Russell, Ryan, Toomey, Diaz, & Sanchez, 2011).

8 Skills and Techniques to Add to Your Arsenal

According to Glen R. Schiraldi (2016), author of The Self-Esteem Workbook, there are some simple steps you can take to help build your self-esteem:

Practice mindfulness.

Change your story.

Don’t compare yourself to others.

Channel that inner rock star.

Move your body more.

Volunteer.

Practice forgiveness.

Realize that you are not your circumstances.

These may be simple things, but they can be powerful. Being mindful, for example, can help you learn to live in the present moment and not get caught up in worrying about the future or obsessing about the past. Mindfulness also enables you to stop negative self-talk by helping you be more aware.

You can also change your story and start thinking differently. You don’t have to carry the same old sad story around. Taking the time to examine your story can help you understand it and move beyond it.

Comparing yourself to others is a recipe for disaster. Comparisons only lead to feeling worse about yourself. When you stop comparing yourself, you begin to realize you are unique.

When all else fails, you can channel your inner rock star. Everyone has a strength or talent. No one is good at everything, so taking the time to find your natural talent can help you feel better about yourself.

Exercising can also help you feel better about yourself with the release of your body’s natural endorphins. You might be surprised at how good you feel after a brisk walk.

Doing things like volunteering and practicing forgiveness can also be helpful. Helping others and taking the time to forgive yourself can go a long way to boosting your self-esteem.

Last but certainly not least, it’s important to remember that you are not your circumstances. This too, shall pass.

How We Can Build Self-Esteem in Kids

It’s important to help our children build self-esteem because having healthy self-esteem in your childhood can help you become a more confident adult.

When children feel good about themselves, it paves the way for the future. Children who have low self-esteem may even perform below their full potential in school and make poor decisions (Kids Play and Create, n.d.).

There are many things you can do to help build up a child’s self-esteem:

Be attentive.

Make them feel special.

Help them learn from their mistakes.

Be a positive role model.

Try to understand where they are coming from.

Doing simple things like these can go a long way toward boosting a child’s self-esteem. For example, being attentive can be as simple as making eye contact when your child talks to you or simply paying attention and listening attentively. The best thing you can do to help your child feel special is to make sure that what they have to say is important to you.

Praising a child can also help them feel better about themselves. You can praise them when they do a good job or praise them for completing a small task. When you take the time to compliment or honor a child’s effort, it can go a long way to making then feel special.

We all need to learn from our mistakes continually. Try to help your child turn mistakes into learning events. Focus on what they can take away and what they can do better next time. You can even tell them a story about someone famous who made mistakes like Thomas Edison, who failed over and over again in the process of inventing the lightbulb.

One of the best things you can do as an adult is to be a positive role model. Children learn from adults. If you are always putting yourself down, you are not going to be a positive role model because children copy adults’ actions.

Taking the time to tune into a child’s feelings when things aren’t going so well can help your child more than you might imagine.

Have a look at these Self-Esteem Books for informative material to help you increase kids’ self-esteem.

A Self-Esteem Building Activity and Exercise

15 Questions to help you feel confident now

According to Emily Roberts (2016), there are some questions you can ask yourself to help boost your self-esteem and help you feel confident now.

You can answer these questions quickly or take more time to ponder. The more time you spend thinking about yourself in this manner, the better you will feel. Sometimes we don’t stop to think about those things we already have that define us.

What are some things you can do to strengthen or balance your emotions? What can you stop doing?

How would you feel three months from now if you stuck to your goal? How would your life be different?

What is one small thing you can do this week that will help you feel more in control of your life?

What are some things you are passionate about? What kinds of things excite, motivate, or interest you? What can you do to feed these passions daily or weekly?

Think of some times when you felt motivated and confident. What were you doing? Who were you with? Where were you?

What kinds of things can you do to start developing a stronger relationship with yourself? What kinds of things do you feel you need to overcome so that you can get closer to self-acceptance and confidence?

Do you have relationship problems with your family, friends, or coworkers? What are your options to overcome them?

What kinds of activities excite you? Which ones make you feel happy? How can you integrate more joyful and exciting activities into the next couple of days?

What habits, if any, do you need to change in order to improve your happiness and confidence this year? What is one habit that you can start to work on in the next couple of days? What would it feel like to do this every day?

What can you start doing, or stop doing, to deepen your relationships with friends and loved ones?

Who are the people in your life who are supportive and will help you nurture your dreams and goals? How can you spend more time with them?

What stands between you and feeling happy? What steps can you take to bridge the gap?

In terms of money and finances, what kinds of changes could you make to feel more confident financially?

How can you reduce your expenses this month? How would this make you feel about yourself?

What would it feel like if you stuck to one healthy habit for the next few months? How could that improve your life?

Don’t get stressed if you can’t answer all of the questions. Just complete the ones you feel comfortable answering and revisit the list later. The more you work on these, the more confident you will feel.

Useful Self-Esteem Tools (incl. PDF)

About Me Worksheet

One useful worksheet that may help examine self-esteem issues is the About Me Worksheet (Therapist Aid, n.d.). This worksheet helps children learn to focus on and explore their positive traits and accomplishments, as opposed to always focusing on the negative things.

As a result of focusing on the good things, children can build a foundation to help them gain the confidence they need to face their problems and implement new skills.

You can do this activity along with your child to help nudge them in the right direction.

Seeing Through the Illusion of Self-Rating

This worksheet, available as part of the PositivePsychology.com Toolkit, is a wonderful exercise for self-esteem. In this exercise, clients attempt to rebut definitions describing a worthless human being. By doing so, they can learn that self-rating is irrational since there is no objective basis for determining the worth of a human being.

Self-Acceptance Meditation

The goal of this tool is for clients to familiarize themselves with self-acceptance, reflect on their inability to accept the self unconditionally, and set an intention to become more self-accepting.

It is recommended that clients practice this meditation initially during sessions before trying it at home on their own. In this way, the practitioner can examine the effects and experiences during the meditation with the client.

Stacking Personal Standards

This tool aims to increase clients’ awareness of personal standards and demonstrate how burdensome it can be to live under such rules.

Becoming aware of our standards and relating differently to them (i.e., being okay with the self) makes it easy to spend more time in the present moment because there is less to be anxious about.

Exploring Domains of Self-Worth

The goal of this tool is for clients to become aware of the domains in their life that they base their self-worth on. This tool can be a valuable starting point for clients to develop more unconditional self-acceptance.

An Assessment and Questionnaire

Another simple quiz that you can do for self-esteem involves asking 10 simple questions (Mirror Mirror, n.d.).

This self-esteem quiz is not meant to diagnose any psychological disorder but is good for gauging how someone feels about themselves. If you score on the low end, that might mean you need to practice more self-love or self-compassion.

Answer the following questions with “most of the time,” “some of the time,” or “almost never.”

My feelings get easily hurt.

I get upset if someone criticizes me, even if they mean well and offer constructive criticism.

I get angry at myself if I make a small mistake, even if it is an honest one.

I typically ask other people what they think I should do, instead of making my own decisions.

I typically go along with the group, even if I don’t necessarily agree.

I am uncomfortable when accepting compliments.

I don’t feel like I measure up or feel good enough.

It’s common for me to self-criticize or say negative things about myself, like telling myself I am stupid, fat, or just no good.

When I look in the mirror, I don’t like what I see and don’t feel attractive.

I find myself apologizing for things all of the time, even for things that aren’t my fault.

If you answered “almost never” for most of the questions, you have a healthy self-esteem. Everyone has times when they feel down, but as long as you don’t feel like that every day, you will be fine.

If you answered “most of the time” to many of the questions, you may need to take some additional steps to boost your self-esteem. This doesn’t necessarily mean you are depressed; it just means you may be a little too hard on yourself.

If you answered “some of the time” to many of the questions, you could still benefit from practicing a little self-compassion and self-love.

A Take-Home Message

Everyone suffers from low self-esteem every once in a while. Most people bounce back eventually. Each of us is born with infinite potential and equal worth as human beings. With a little self-compassion and self-love, there are no limits to what we can achieve.

Taking the time to understand the tools that are out there can help you boost your self-esteem when you feel down. Simply taking the time to recognize these times can help you move forward and feel better.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Self Compassion Exercises for free.

Bachman, J. G., O’Malley, P. M., Freedman-Doan, P., Trzesniewski, K. H., & Donnellan, M. B. (2011). Adolescent self-esteem: Differences by race/ethnicity, gender, and age. Self and Identity, 10(4), 445–473.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles. (n.d.). Build self-esteem. Retrieved from http://cogbtherapy.com/build-self-esteem

Griffioen, B. T., van der Vegt, A. A., de Groot, I. W., & de Jongh, A. (2017). The effect of EMDR and CBT on low self-esteem in a general psychiatric population: A randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1910.

Danielsen, Y. S., Stormark, K. M., Nordhus, I. H., Mæhle, M., Sand, L., Ekornås, B., & Pallesen, S. (2012). Factors associated with low self-esteem in children with overweight. Obesity Facts, 5(5), 722–733.

Good Therapy. (2018, January 5). Self-esteem. Retrieved from https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/self-esteem

Hewitt, J. P. (2005). The social construction of self-esteem. In C. R. Snyder & S. J. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 135–148). Oxford University

Ilic, M., Reinecke, J., Bohner, G., Hans-Onno, R., Beblo, T., Driessen, M., … Corrigan, P. W. (2012). Protecting self-esteem from stigma: A test of different strategies for coping with the stigma of mental illness. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 58(3), 246–257.

Kids Play and Create. (n.d.). Self esteem and character building activities for kids. Retrieved from https://www.kidsplayandcreate.com/self-esteem-character-building-activities-for-kids/

Linehan, M. (1993). Skills training manual for treating borderline personality disorder. Guilford Press.

Mirror Mirror. (n.d.). Quiz for self-esteem. Retrieved from https://www.mirror-mirror.org/quiz-for-self-esteem.htm

Optimum Performance Institute. (n.d.). Use Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) FAST skills to balance keeping relationships with keeping respect for yourself. Retrieved from https://www.optimumperformanceinstitute.com/dbt-treatment/dbt-fast-skills-explained/

Roberts, E. (2016, January 15). Feel confident now: Ask yourself these 15 questions. Healthy Place. Retrieved from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/buildingselfesteem/2016/01/feel-confident-now-ask-yourself-these-15-questions

Russell, S. T., Ryan, C., Toomey, R. B., Diaz, R. M., & Sanchez, J. (2011). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender adolescent school victimization: Implications for young adult health and adjustment. Journal of School Health, 81(5), 223–230.

Schiraldi, G. R. (2016). The self-esteem workbook. New Harbinger.

Therapist Aid. (n.d.) About me: Self-esteem sentence completion. Retrieved August 20, 2021, from https://www.therapistaid.com/therapy-worksheet/self-esteem-sentence-completion

Webber, C. (2019, September 18). 8 ways to overcome low self-esteem. NetDoctor. Retrieved from https://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-living/wellbeing/a25866/how-to-overcome-low-self-esteem/

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7 Most Effective Self-Esteem Tools and Activities

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In this article, we will explore what self-esteem is, its origins and roots, as well as some helpful tools and worksheets.

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We all experience moments of self-doubt and uncertainty. Even the most confident and happy people have moments where they think, "I'm such a failure."

It's a part of being human. However, if you find yourself having these kinds of negative thoughts frequently or letting these feelings get in the way of living a healthy and happy life, it may be time to do something about it.

Luckily, there are many ways to increase your sense of self-worth. It probably won't be easy, but it can certainly be done.

Building self-esteem can be a difficult, though rewarding, journey in adulthood. It's much easier to develop this characteristic at a young age and to foster it while growing up. If you are a parent, child therapist, teacher, or any other valued adult in the life of a child, you can use these tools to begin cultivating a healthy sense of self-esteem in the children in your life.

We'll provide several methods and activities for building self-esteem, starting with self-esteem worksheets for young children and ending with self-esteem worksheets for adults.

Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our three Self-Compassion Exercises for free. These detailed, science-based exercises will not only help you show more compassion and kindness towards yourself but will also give you the tools to help your children, young clients or students learn how to practice self-compassion and develop healthy self-esteem.

Self-Esteem Worksheets for Kids in Primary School

Primary or elementary school is a fantastic time to start helping a child develop self-esteem. A child's mind is generally much more flexible and open than an adult's, so it's ideal to begin planting the seeds of healthy self-esteem at an early age.

The worksheet and activities listed below are some of the ways you can help a child develop the self-esteem that will act as a buffer against some of life's most difficult obstacles and challenges.

Something About Me: Self-Esteem Sentence Completion

This is an activity that both children and adults can get engaged with, although this worksheet is geared toward children. A similar worksheet for adults is included later in this article.

This "Something About Me" worksheet is intended to help children identify their own positive traits and characteristics and to recognize their accomplishments.

It's a simple worksheet with six sentence prompts and space for a child to fill in the blanks.

The sentence prompts are:

My friends think I'm awesome because...

My classmates say I'm great at...

I feel very happy when I...

Something that I'm really proud of is...

I make my family happy when I...

One unique thing about me is...

These sentences are constructed with clear and uncomplicated language that most elementary school students should understand, but it may help to go over this worksheet with your child. Encourage your child to think about each sentence and not to rush.

Completing this activity can help children build the foundations of an authentic and healthy self-esteem that they can carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Click to see the Something About Me Worksheet.

Things I Like About Me Worksheet

This worksheet was created to help young children learn how uniqueness makes a person beautiful. This worksheet should be completed with a parent or other trusted adult to help explain the distinction between inner beauty and outer beauty.

The worksheet includes the following instructions:

"You are beautiful because you are unique, both on the inside and on the outside. Look inside and outside at your personality, what you can do, how you treat others, and who you are, then write down some things that you like about you on this mirror."

Also included is the prompt "Things that make me beautiful" and space to write five things. It's okay to write something external, like "my hair" or "my eyes," but make sure your child writes at least one or two inner traits or qualities in addition to the external qualities.

It's never too early to start combatting the extreme focus society places on external beauty, and this worksheet is a great start. Of course, it can also be used with boys to help them learn the same lesson.

Click to download the Things I Like About Me Worksheet and give it a try.

"I'm Great Because..." Worksheet

This worksheet can be an excellent way for young children to explore what makes them good and likable people, and to help them build a foundation of healthy self-esteem. The instructions are to print it out and complete the statements-without worrying too much if the user can't complete them all-and keeping the worksheet handy for the next time the user experiences feelings of low self-esteem.

The worksheet lists 20 sentence-completion prompts that children fill out with something positive about themselves. A reason, in other words, that they are great. These prompts include the following:

I like who I am because...

I'm super at...

I feel good about my...

My friends think I have an awesome...

Somewhere I feel happy is...

I mean a lot to...

Others reckon I'm a great...

I think I'm a pretty good...

Something I really enjoy is...

I really admire myself for...

My future goals are...

I know I can achieve them because I'm...

I'm naturally gifted at...

Others often praise my...

Completing this worksheet will give your child an opportunity to list all of the good things about himself or herself without fear of being overly proud or self-absorbed.

It's good to be both realistic and positive about yourself, and this is a good way to begin a habit of positive realism. Children may need an adult's help in completing this worksheet, but try to let them come up with their own ideas about the traits and characteristics they like about themselves.

Try this I'm Great Because... Worksheet for yourself.

Friendship Ingredients

This is a great worksheet for helping children learn about what makes them good friends and what they should look for in a friend. Completing this worksheet will likely take some guidance from an adult, but it can be a positive way for children to start thinking about what kind of people they want to be.

It's a simple activity with only one short set of instructions:

"Making friends is like making a cake. List the traits that are important for making friends"

Next, it provides spaces for the child to write down five traits-or friendship "ingredients"-and explain why they are important in a friend. The simple nature of this worksheet allows children to put their imagination to good use.

They might need some help from an adult, but they should be able to come up with several traits that they find important in a friend.

Click to download this Friendship Ingredients Worksheet and help your child learn how to both find and be a good friend.

Self-Esteem Journal For Kids

This activity is great for any age, but this template is meant specifically for young children. We'll explore an adult version later in the article.

Keeping a self-esteem journal is a great way for children to begin thinking about the good things that they do and experience, setting them up for a positive outlook on life. This worksheet lists three-sentence completion prompts for each day of the week, starting with Monday.

The prompts include " One thing I did great at today...," " Today it was interesting when...," and " I made someone smile when... "

Completing these prompts every night for a week should help your child feel more optimistic and begin focusing on the good things that happen instead of the bad. Follow this link to download and use this Self-Esteem Journal Worksheet with your child.

5 Self-Esteem Activities for Teens in Middle or High School

While it's best to start self-esteem building young, there is still tons of room for growth and development in this area for middle- and high-schoolers.

The activities and worksheets below can help your teenager start or continue to build a healthy sense of self-esteem.

Designing Affirmations Worksheet

Affirmations are a popular way to help combat low self-esteem in both adults and adolescents (Bloch & Merritt, 1993; Lynch & Graham-Bermann, 2000).

This worksheet will guide adolescents through one of the most popular, tactical approaches to designing affirmations. You'll find instructions on how to create effective affirmations, as well as example goals, affirmations, and tips to help you.

In a nutshell:

Affirmations start with the words "I am...";

Affirmations are positive. Never use the word "not" in an affirmation. For example, instead of writing "I am not afraid to express myself," you could write, "I am confidently sharing my opinion";

Affirmations are short;

Affirmations are specific. For example, instead of writing, "I am driving a new car," you would write, "I am driving a new black Range Rover";

Affirmations are in the present tense and include a word that ends in "-ing";

Affirmations have a "feeling" word in them. Examples include "confidently," "successfully," or "gracefully";

Affirmations are about yourself. They should be about your own behavior, never someone else's.

Once you have read and understood the guidelines, the worksheet provides space for you to write down some affirmations of your own. Refer back to the guidelines as much as you need.

When you have a set of affirmations ready to put to use, you can try these tips for using them:

Use positive self-talk;

Set big goals and stay mindful of your goals (write them down and place them somewhere you can see them every day);

Say and visualize your affirmations every day;

Take time to see yourself accomplishing the goals you've set;

Think about how good it will feel once you have accomplished your goals.

To get into the habit, try to start by sticking with a schedule-for example, you might try repeating your affirmations:

Visualizing and planning for success makes it much more likely that you will achieve your goals. If needed, give your child guidance and support when coming up with affirmations, but allow them to take ownership of this activity and see the amazing results of their commitment.

You can access the Designing Affirmations Worksheet here.

Understanding Self-Confidence Worksheet

This worksheet can be completed by adolescents who wish to build up their self-esteem and self-confidence. The completed worksheet can be kept handy for the next time you're feeling low in self-esteem and need a boost.

You can always your worksheet and be reminded of your personal power, and use it to transform situations in which you feel less confident.

The worksheet is divided into three parts:

Part A involves thinking of a situation in which you felt confident and experienced a sense of self-worth, and answering the following questions:

What is the situation?

What do you say to yourself about the situation (self-talk)? How do you feel physically?

What sensations and feelings do you have in your body?

What do you do as a result of this?

Part B involves thinking of a recent situation in which you felt lacking in self-confidence and answering the same four questions listed above.

In Part C, you are instructed to look at your answers to Parts A and B, then use that information to answer these questions:

Completing this worksheet will help adolescents explore their feelings in two very different situations, analyze their responses to these situations, and come up with an action plan for the next time they experience low self-esteem. This exercise will help them take control of their development and give them a sense of ownership in their own wellbeing, a trait that will serve them well in the future.

Click this link to see the Understanding Self-Confidence Worksheet.

You, At Your Best Worksheet

This worksheet is a great way to help clients reflect on the personal character strengths that define them at their best. The exercise aims to use narrative and storytelling; clients are asked to identify their unique strengths by writing a story about a past experience where they were "at their best".

It takes them through four stages:

Start by asking your client to recall a specific occasion during which they were at their very best. It could be a problem or difficult time that they overcame successfully, or where they accomplished something they were proud of. It should be a situation in which they felt energized, positive, and proud, and they will create a (true) story about it.

They then write the story, emphasizing their own character strengths and personal values in the narrative. Using descriptive language, this second step is about recounting what happened, what they brought to the situation, the emotions they felt, and/or the ways they helped others.

Your client's story should be structured with a start, middle, and a powerful ending. Writing the narrative might be easier if they try to vividly reconstruct the experience in their minds while doing so.

This handout/homework worksheet then instructs the client to go back over their story, circling or highlighting keywords and phrases that they feel relate to their personal strengths.

This subjective, feelings-based exercise is a useful way for you or your client to reflect on their unique character strengths and qualities, helping to enhance their self-esteem.

Find the You, At Your Best Worksheet in our Positive Psychology Toolkit©.

My Wins

This activity is especially great for kids and younger teens who are crafty and creative, although people of all ages and talents can take part.

The My Wins Worksheet is an artistic prompt for you or your child to draw, paint, or otherwise represent the things-their achievements and qualities-about themselves that are important to them. You may wish to use a theme for this activity or for each 'win', like "family," but it's okay to engage in this activity with no specific theme in mind as well.

This is a simple worksheet that has only the outline of different certificates. In each, your child can represent the personal qualities, achievements, and traits that they value.

For example, if your child is dealing with self-esteem issues, he or she can use the theme "What Makes Me Great" and focus on filling the frames with reasons why he or she is a good friend, a good child, a good student, and a good person in general.

Before You Die

This activity uses a very basic technique that you can build upon as needed. The point of this activity is to help your client identify meaningful goals that are connected with their personal values.

Striving toward and achieving one's goals is an important way to build self-esteem. You build the most solid foundation of self-esteem and self-confidence with the building blocks of positive experience and success. The more individuals recognize their ability to meet the goals they set for themselves, the more likely they are to feel confident and worthy.

This ' Before You Die' Bucketlist Worksheet provides more information on the theory behind goal-setting, motivation, and positive behavior change, as well as an applied framework that will guide your client through the process.

The first column of the table provided is for specifying the goal that your client would like to accomplish 'before they die'. Try to make these as specific as possible, regardless of whether or not they are practical. A useful question to ask when filling out this column is, what would I like to accomplish if I had only one year to live?

In the second column, the client is encouraged to dig a bit deeper into the personal motivations for this particular goal. Why is it important to them? How might it enhance the meaning in their life?

Use the final column to rate the meaningfulness of these items on a scale of zero to ten, where 0 = not at all meaningful, and 10 is extremely meaningful.

At the end of this exercise, the user should have a list-or at least the beginnings of a list-which features meaningful life goals, a stepping stone toward confidence, self-worth, and self-esteem. You can access the worksheet by subscribing to the Positive Psychology Toolkit©, with over 400 exercises.

Exercises for Building Self-Esteem in College Students and Adults

Again, while building self-esteem is a practice best started young, it's never too late to begin investing in your own self-worth.

Self-Esteem Sentence Stems Worksheet

This worksheet leads the reader through a sentence completion exercise for adults. This exercise is exactly what it sounds like: It includes prompts with space for you to complete the sentence in the way that feels right to you.

Completing this exercise can help you explore your thoughts and feelings, and to open up and share them with others. For users of this worksheet, this exercise will help them become more comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings with others, making it easier to work through their self-esteem issues.

Next, it instructs users to set aside 5-10 minutes several times a week to complete the worksheet. After two weeks of completing the worksheet, users can review their responses to get an idea of their general outlooks on life and see how things have changed since they began.

The intended result is for the answers to become more positive over time.

After the instructions, the sentence prompts are listed, including:

I have always wanted to...

I'm secretly afraid of...

This week I would enjoy doing...

I often look forward to...

I feel something that the future holds for me is...

I get my strength from...

One person couldn't live without is...

I would never...

It made me feel great when...

I love when...

I find it hard to...

My dream is to one day that...

It makes me angry when...

I sometimes fear that...

This week is going to be...

Something I deeply desire is...

I flourish when...

This week I hope to...

Something I do secretly...

I find it hard to admit...

Answering these questions can give you helpful insight into yourself, what makes you happy, and what you struggle with. If you're a therapist, you can introduce this exercise to clients by filling out a few prompts together.

This allows you to communicate important messages to your client and to help them feel comfortable with the exercise. For example, you can finish the prompt "Right now, I'm happy that..." with "my favorite hockey team won last night." This can be a good way to defuse tension and start off with an easy and relatively harmless example.

Download and work through this Self-Esteem Sentence Stems Worksheet.

Self-Esteem Journal Template

For those of you who have heard of or kept a gratitude journal, this exercise might feel familiar. Not only can journaling help you find more things in your life to be grateful for, but it can also give you the opportunity to reflect on your own thoughts and feelings, leading to discovery and understanding of the self (Kaczmarek et al., 2015).

The worksheet begins with a short paragraph about the potential benefits of journaling, including improved self-esteem and wellbeing. Users are encouraged to use this template to reflect on the meaningful moments of their days and review the changes in their emotions and general outlooks over time.

Next, there are five tables set up with prompts and space to write. The first table includes the following prompts:

The prompts in the second table are:

The third table includes:

In the fourth table, the prompts are:

The final table lists these three prompts:

You have probably noticed that these prompts are intended to provoke positive responses. The positive focus of this exercise is what sets it apart from ordinary journaling or writing in a diary. Even when you've had a rough day, these prompts can help you find the good things in your life and remind you that no matter how hard things have been, you've survived them.

If you are a therapist providing this worksheet to your client(s), encourage them to think critically about what their answers reveal. This exercise can be a quick and short-term mood boost, or, with commitment and effort, it can facilitate positive growth and development.

Click the link for this Self-Esteem Journal For Adults Worksheet.

Gratitude Worksheet and Journal Template

If you are not familiar with the gratitude journal technique, this worksheet is an excellent way to give it a try. Research has linked gratitude to a multitude of positive outcomes, like increasing wellbeing (Wood, Froh, & Geraghty, 2010), improving relationships (Algoe, Haidt, & Gable, 2008), increasing optimism (Dickens, 2019), and helping people find meaning in their work (Waters, 2012).

Gratitude journaling is one of the best ways to inject more gratitude into your daily life, and it can be done in just a few minutes a day. The gratitude journal worksheet opens with some tips to help you journal effectively, including recording at least five things you are grateful for each day, aiming for one new thing to be grateful for each day, and reading through old entries to see how far you have come since you began.

The template is simple, with space for the date, and two prompts below.

Alongside Blessings in the second row, list things that you feel thankfulness for. Examples might be an encouraging friend, particular capabilities or qualities that you possess, or even just being alive.

The second prompt, Reflections, encourage you to elaborate on them. Research suggests that this reflection builds on the positive impacts of simply listing things that you're grateful for, by focusing your thoughts on them in detail. For instance, you might use this last row to consider what things might look like if you didn't have that supportive partner or that ability to be patient.

It's a good idea to fill in the journal once or twice a week, thinking of something that you have not yet expressed gratitude for. More examples include a teacher who profoundly affected your development whom you never thanked or something you may take for granted, like good general health. There are many ways to set up and complete a gratitude journal, but this is a great way to begin.

This Gratitude Journal is included in the Positive Psychology Toolkit©, but this simplistic PDF can also guide you.

Reframing Critical Self-Talk Worksheet

This exercise is a great way to address negative automatic thoughts and self-talk, challenges that people with low self-esteem and/or mental health issues often face. It's not surprising that talking down to yourself will lead to and exacerbate self-esteem problems, but the good news is that it is not an unsolvable problem.

Challenging negative self-talk is a core technique in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a type of therapy that has proven effective in helping a wide range of conditions, diagnoses, and problems. CBT helps clients discover some of their most deeply held, often unconscious, beliefs, allowing them to evaluate these beliefs and challenge those that are not useful.

This reframing worksheet opens with an explanation of negative self-talk and how you can identify and confront it.

Next, the tool is described. It includes two main steps intended to help you understand where your critical thoughts are coming from and what they feel or sound like.

Increasing your awareness of self-critical talk: To begin tapping into your self-awareness, take some deep breaths. When you realize that your inner critic is doing the talking inside your head-perhaps when you are unsuccessful at something-pay attention to what that self-talk sounds like. Are there specific core phrases that you tend to say to yourself? How does that negative voice sound?

Taking action to soften your self-critical voice: Once you've become aware of when you're criticizing yourself, it's time to try self-compassion instead. In these instances, the worksheet suggests, consider what you might say to someone you care about if they were in the same scenario.Try changing the mental tone you're using and take on a more positive one you might use when you're feeling good about who you are. Finally, try to come to terms with what exactly it is that you're being self-critical about. Is there something you might learn from this criticism if it were presented more constructively instead?

This tried-and-true technique will help you or your client recognize self-directed criticism and challenge it on the spot, leading to greater self-esteem and peace with oneself.

If one of your clients is having trouble coming up with positive responses to their self-critical thoughts, encourage them to consider what they would say to a dear friend or loved one who was struggling with these thoughts, as the sheet suggests. Sometimes it's easier to be kind to others than to ourselves, but that is something that can be remedied with time and practice.

The full version of this worksheet can be downloaded from the Positive Psychology Toolkit©.

Identifying and Challenging Core Beliefs

Similar to challenging negative thoughts, it can be an extremely effective therapeutic technique to discover, identify, and challenge your core beliefs. We often carry negative or false unconscious or semiconscious beliefs, never stopping to recognize the values and norms that we buy into on a daily basis.

This exercise will help you or your client explore and define deeply held beliefs that guide thoughts and behavior.

The worksheet begins with an explanation of what core beliefs are:

"Core beliefs can be defined as the very essence of how people see themselves, others, the world, and the future."

Next, it explains how core beliefs can influence one's thinking and emotions through an example interaction.

"Interaction: You are attending an interview for a job that you really want."

In this situation, you must choose between three briefcases to bring along to work, each representing a different core belief:

Internal thought associated: "I am naturally adept with lots of experience in this field. I deserve this role."

Your reaction: You feel confident as you enter the interview, and subsequently land the job.
Purple briefcase-"I'm talented"
Internal thought associated: "I have lots of experience and I think I'm good, but someone else will probably get the job over me."

Your reaction: You don't feel great heading into the interview. You relatively positive feedback but don't land the role.
Orange briefcase-"I'm unsure whether I'm talented."
Internal thought associated: "There's no way I'm getting this job. Other candidates are much more capable than me."

Your reaction: You don't get the job.

These examples show that the thoughts we carry with us, everywhere we go, can have a profound impact on our feelings, our behavior, and the associated outcomes.
Green briefcase-"I'm not talented."
Finally, the worksheet presents an opportunity to apply what you have learned from these examples to your own life. You are prompted to identify three negative core beliefs and three reasons why each belief is not true.

It can be difficult to identify the first core belief, especially if you have several very deeply held negative beliefs that you have never even considered challenging before. However, once you get the ball rolling with the first belief, it should get easier as you go.

To give this Core Beliefs Suitcases worksheet a try, follow the link.

Assertive Communication Worksheet

Low self-esteem and poor or underdeveloped communication skills often go hand-in-hand (Blood & Blood, 2004). It can be difficult to share feelings with others if you don't feel your feelings have value, an all-too-common symptom of low self-esteem.

Learning to communicate assertively will not only help you form better relationships and find new opportunities, but it can also facilitate a shift in the way you think about yourself (Law & Sivyer, 2003).

The word "assertive" may make people with low self-esteem hesitant. Being assertive might sound overly aggressive, pushy, or just too out of character.

The worksheet addresses this right away with an explanation about how three common communication styles differ:

Aggressive Communication
Defined by speaking in a mean, harsh, or sarcastic manner, taking instead of compromising, maintaining glaring eye contact and speaking in loud or threatening tones, putting others down, being inappropriately honest, and bullying or trampling others.

Assertive Communication
Defined by being firm but polite, compromising, maintaining warm and friendly eye contact and a conversational tone, building up others and oneself, being appropriately honest, and standing up for oneself.

Passive Communication
Defined by being too nice or weak, being overly compliant, avoiding eye contact, speaking softly, putting oneself down, being emotionally dishonest, and allowing others to trample you in conversation.

When laid out in this way, it is clear that being an assertive communicator is nothing like being an aggressive communicator. Assertive communication is simply expressing yourself honestly and directly, while being polite and open.

The worksheet provides space and instructions to record three scenarios in which you communicated assertively and list the emotions you felt afterward. If you can't think of an instance where you have communicated assertively, don't worry! You can make that a goal for yourself in the next week.

You can see this Assertive Communication Worksheet for yourself and begin building up your communication skills.

Tips for Overcoming Low Self-Esteem and Low Self-Worth

Apart from these worksheets and activities, there are tons of tips out there for building self-esteem and self-worth.

Dr. John M. Grohol (2011) offers these six tips:

Take a self-esteem inventory to give yourself a baseline. This can be as simple as writing down 10 of your strengths and 10 of your weaknesses. This will help you to begin developing an honest and realistic conception of your self.

Set realistic expectations. It's important to set small, attainable goals that are within your power. For example, setting an extremely high expectation or an expectation that someone else will change their behavior is virtually guaranteed to make you feel like a failure.

Stop being a perfectionist and acknowledge both your accomplishments and mistakes. Nobody is perfect, and trying to be will only lead to disappointment. Acknowledging your accomplishments and recognizing your mistakes is the way to keep a positive outlook while learning and growing from your mistakes.

Explore yourself. The importance of knowing yourself and being at peace with who you are cannot be overstated. This can take some trial and error, but it's a lifelong journey that should be undertaken with purpose and zeal.

Be willing to adjust your self-image. We all change as we age and grow, and we must keep up with our ever-changing selves if we want to set and achieve meaningful goals.

Stop comparing yourself to others. Comparing ourselves to others is a trap that is extremely easy to fall into, especially with social media and the ability to project a polished and perfected (and false) appearance. The only person you should compare yourself to is you.

Henrik Edberg (2017) offers a similar set of tips for improving your self-esteem:

Say "stop" to your inner critic;

Use healthier motivation habits;

Take a two-minute self-appreciation break;

Each evening, write down three things that you can appreciate about yourself;

Do the right thing;

Fight against perfectionism;

Handle mistakes and failures in a more positive way;

Be kinder toward other people;

Try something new;

Stop falling into the comparison trap;

Spend more time with supportive people (and less time with destructive people);

Remember the "whys" of high self-esteem.

To read these tips in more detail, you can visit Edberg's blog post on improving self-esteem here and read more about positive body image here.

Ten Days to Self-Esteem Improvement: An Action Plan

While it can take time to build up a solid sense of self-esteem, it's possible to kickstart the process.

For a guide on quick ways to put the process in motion, check out the book Ten Days to Self-Esteem by psychiatrist and author David Burns. While self-help books are often hit-or-miss, Burns has an impressive record of success with his patients and his readers. At the very least, it can't hurt to give it a shot.

This book helps the reader identify the causes of low self-esteem and provides activities and exercises to start increasing self-esteem. It's written in plain English, not psychiatric jargon, and has earned an impressive four-star rating on Amazon.

If you don't have the patience to go through an entire book, there are some simple things you can do now to jumpstart your self-esteem journey:

Think hard about the root cause(s) of your insecurities. The first step to defeating formidable foes is to learn about them, and this situation is no different. Identifying the events that led to a low sense of self-worth can provide valuable information for challenging these negative beliefs.

Use the "Negative Self-Talk" and "Identifying and Challenging Core Beliefs" worksheets (available in the adult worksheets section of this article) to help you identify negative thoughts and begin to replace them with alternative thoughts.

Be kind to yourself. If you find yourself being excessively negative to yourself, stop and consider how you would feel if someone said those things about a close friend or family member. Extend the same compassion you'd give a friend or family member to yourself.

Make a plan. Set achievable and realistic short-term goals for yourself to complete in the next week or so. Achieving something, no matter how small, can be an excellent boost to your motivation.

Celebrate your success. When you accomplish a goal, successfully challenge a negative thought, or catch yourself extending kindness toward yourself, mark the achievement with a celebration! Taking the time to revel in your success and enjoy the moment can give you the inspiration you need to continue your journey to self-improvement.

A Take-Home Message

We hope this piece helped you find useful ways to begin or continue improving on your self-esteem, but if you only leave with one lesson learned, we hope it is this:

You can improve. You can get better. You can reach your goals.

It may not feel like it at the moment, but know that no matter how down you might be feeling, there is always room for growth and improvement.

Which techniques have you used to improve your self-esteem? Were they effective? Please share your experience with us in the comments section.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don't forget to download our three Self Compassion Exercises for free.

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18 Best Self-Esteem Worksheets and Activities (Incl. PDF)

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Here are PDF self-esteem worksheets, activities, and exercises for kids, teens, and adults. Use these resources to build up self-worth!

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Self-Esteem Self-Help Resources - Information Sheets & Workbooks

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Self-help resources for addressing low self-esteem, written by clinical psychologists at the Centre for Clinical Interventions in Perth, Western Australia

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What stops you from achieving goals or becoming who you want to be?
Build your self-improvement program to develop the motivation and the positive mindset you need to succeed, using positive affirmations in the most effective way.

Our mindset and thoughts have an enormous impact on self-esteem, health, prosperity, and happiness. Positive affirmations and self-talk are a simple and proven technique recommended by therapists, life coaches, and personal development gurus to make our mind work for us.

FIND INSPIRATION
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Record in the voice your brain truly trusts and understands, your own.
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Develop new, positive thoughts and reduce negative self-talk.

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We encourage you to utilize what many already know; our mind is the key to a good, happy, and prosperous life.
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Version 1.17.22

Fixed the crash that some of you reported, thank you for your patience!
*New features*
Presentation mode: presenting the affirmation card image while playing the affirmation recordings (turn this feature on on the Voice&Music Options screen)
Visual Reminders: scroll through multiple cards

Everyday

I began soul searching and read several self help books that helped me identify my weaknesses and problem areas. Since I'm entering a challenging period of my life, I'm demanding more from myself than I ever had before. I selected a few of the avail aspirations, but mostly made my own.

The first time I fell asleep to my customized aspiration soundtrack, I was really impressed. I woke up feeling positive and happy. Now I use this app daily when I have to do a lot of reading and writing. I should probably mention I have ADHD, so this app really helps give me the white noise and drowned out environmental distraction. When I'm working (reading and writing papers), I play this app at the same time as another one called Forest. If you have similar work demands and/or ADHD interference, I highly recommend pairing these two together. The other app tracks work time and converts it into social impact (it will plant real trees with your accumulated points). Anyway, I've recommended ThinkUp to 3 of my closest friends and I use it every day. Everyone has inner obstacles to overcome and everyone wants to achieve their own definitions of success. Find what works and stick to it. Make it happen!

Be patient with this

A lot of my affirmations didn't start manifesting for several months, most of them not for 8+ months. So I could have easily given up on this app, but somehow I knew things were changing on a subliminal level and that my outer world would eventually catch up. And it did in "miraculous" ways. Example, one of my affirmations was about how clean and tidy I am (cue laughter from anyone who knows me and my huge struggle with clutter and disorganization). After several months of daily affirmations I felt like I was just "magically" having an easier time keeping my home and office tidy, something that has been a lifelong struggle for me. Now you could say that this wasn't magic, it was my increased awareness that brought about me coming up with new sustainable systems that actually worked for me. But the magical part was how natural and relatively easy these changes felt, though they had previously been a constant source of doubt and struggle. Too many other examples to cite here, but it also helped with my relationship with self and others.

Healing mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually

Many years ago I came across Louise Hays book You Can Heal Your Life, I decided that I was going to record all the affirmations in that book and listen to them when I went to sleep at night and when I woke up and n the morning. The first time I heard my own voice, it was very uncomfortable, however after doing this for 3 months, I had a major physical healing! These were on cassettes and I don't even have a player any more! A friend shared this app with me last month, I paid immediately and got my affirmations recorded and listen to them at night as I drift off to sleep
And they are still the laying when I wake up in the morning! I love this and I thank u from my heart to yours for coming up with this idea and impacting the world! As an Interfaith Minister and Life Coach, I have to stay on top of my own "stuff" so I can walk my talk and be present for those I am serving. This is so helpful and I have referred many clients to the app for their healing as well! Blessings and Namaste - Rev Janet Ellis

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‎What stops you from achieving goals or becoming who you want to be? Build your self-improvement program to develop the motivation and the positive mindset you need to succeed, using positive affirmations in the most effective way. Our mindset and thoughts have an enormous impact on self-esteem, hea...

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Meditate easily with this elegantly simple App, the only meditation app you may ever need. Enjoy the deep relaxation, stress relief and benefits of meditation without prior experience. You can choose from 5 meditation times and you have the option to listen to the guided meditation alone or with music or nature sounds. You can also listen to the music or nature sounds alone. In addition, you can choose how long to listen to the music or nature sounds after the voice guidance finishes.

RECOMMENDED BY THE NY TIMES, SELF MAGAZINE, YOGA JOURNAL, the HUFFINGTON POST and more.

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"My stress level has dropped, I have more patience, and I am more relaxed before going to bed."

With this App you can:

- Meditate easily as you are voice-guided step by step
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- Links to support on the Meditation Oasis website

The Simply Being meditation is useful for beginners and experienced meditators alike.
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Created by Mary Maddux, MS, HTP and Richard Maddux, well known for their popular Meditation Oasis® podcast, CDs and apps.

Mary and Richard bring over 40 years of meditation practice and teaching to the creation of their guided meditations and music. In addition to teaching meditation, Mary has worked in both conventional and alternative settings as a counselor and healing arts practitioner. Richard has played and composed music all of his life. His music is composed especially for meditation, relaxation and healing.

This app has been updated by Apple to use the latest Apple signing certificate.

Improved new nature sounds from award winning recordist Gordon Hempton. Added two additional music choices. Added 30 minute guided meditation.

Simple, yet well-designed

When my previous favorite meditation app was no longer supported, I began a search for a replacement. I tried several that seemed promising, but required an ongoing auto-paid subscription, or had lots of unnecessary frilly add-ons. Simply Being is exactly what I wanted, at a very affordable price. It's self-contained (no in-app purchased needed to make it work, and no intrusive ads). The interface is simple and direct. I love that it has two sliders to adjust the volume for the voice and background sounds separately. When I only want sounds, I can slide the voice down to silence- or vice versa. From the same page you can choose the length of your meditation, the type of music or nature sounds, and how long you wish the sounds to continue after the guided meditation is complete. Tapping the info button takes you to a page with tips, support and other information. I recommend this to anyone looking for a meditation timer or guided meditation.

Not what I expected, in a good way

At first I thought the lady's voice was kinda annoying but I was having trouble sleeping and my friend suggested this app. So I tried it. And once I got the volume and music and stuff the way I liked it, I feel asleep in a matter of 30-40 min. It might not take you that long or it might take you longer, but I usually take about 2 hours at least to fall asleep so this is really good for me. I actually get more sleep, I have better dreams (crazy, right?) AND it's actually easier to up in the morning, because I feel really rested. And even when I get a lot of sleep, I usually don't feel rested. So I don't know what it is, but the voice and the music is so calming. (I suggest either the "acceptance" music, or the "gentle night" music. Sorry this is long but this app is really good! The payment is defiantly worth it!!

Lifesaver! Simply the best.

I've tried about 15 meditation apps included ones for guided and specific issues like anxiety, sleep and anger. This app is perfect because: (1) do a little or a lot: choose five, ten or up to 30 minutes, (2) timing of her speaking is perfect: the guide seems to speak at just the right intervals to not disrupt when you get a good groove going but enough to keep you centered in the meditation, (3) it works for all issues you may be having because it's generic enough but says a lot like about letting go of thoughts and feeling your breath, etc. and (4) it's the little things: like being able to control the speakers voice volume, chose background music or ambient sound and control that volume separately, and how long you want music to trail off at the so you can just drop or or fade away to nice music. Perfect.

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Requires iOS 7.1 or later.

Mac

Requires macOS 11.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip.

Family Sharing

With Family Sharing set up, up to six family members can use this app.

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simply being - guided meditation for relaxation and presence

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‎Simply Being - Guided Meditation for Relaxation and Presence

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‎Meditate easily with this elegantly simple App, the only meditation app you may ever need. Enjoy the deep relaxation, stress relief and benefits of meditation without prior experience. You can choose from 5 meditation times and you have the option to listen to the guided meditation alone or with mus...

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Confidence in one’s value as a human being is a precious psychological resource and generally a highly positive factor in life; it is correlated with achievement, good relationships, and satisfaction. Possessing little self-regard can lead people to become depressed, to fall short of their potential…

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What Are the Signs of Healthy or Low Self-Esteem?

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Self-esteem is your overall sense of personal value and self worth. Learn why it matters for motivation, success, and mental health.

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How To Build Self Esteem - The Blueprint

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Meet Yourself: A User's Guide to Building Self-Esteem: Niko Everett at TEDxYouth@BommerCanyon

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What prevents entrepreneurs from succeeding is not a lack of talent, skill, intelligence, opportunity or luck, but the absence of the right mental and emotional mindset and abilities that foster success. You can have world-class business chops, but if you're not in control of your mind, emotions and actions, you're not in control of your life. Psychologist Dr. Steve Orma flips convention to show you why a LACK of selfishness (self-respect, self-valuing, self-esteem) can undermine success and fulfillment as an entrepreneur. Through interviews with entrepreneurs and solo episodes, he provides actionable tips, tools, and powerful insights to help you THRIVE in your business and life.

What prevents entrepreneurs from succeeding is not a lack of talent, skill, intelligence, opportunity or luck, but the absence of the right mental and emotional mindset and abilities that foster success. You can have world-class business chops, but if you're not in control of your mind, emotions and actions, you're not in control of your life. Psychologist Dr. Steve Orma flips convention to show you why a LACK of selfishness (self-respect, self-valuing, self-esteem) can undermine success and fulfillment as an entrepreneur. Through interviews with entrepreneurs and solo episodes, he provides actionable tips, tools, and powerful insights to help you THRIVE in your business and life.

Practical real life advice to get the real life you want

Got hooked on this show with the Obligations episode and binged them all after that. If you feel stuck at all in life and are prepared to make some concrete changes beyond "putting your desire out into the universe" give Dr. Orma a listen.

Useful, informative, encouraging

Dr. Steve Orma brings interesting guests and asks them thoughtful questions. I really appreciate his perspective and the values he shares. It's a great show, keep it up!

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selfish for success: entrepreneur | business | psychology | self esteem | happiness | health

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‎Selfish for Success: Entrepreneur | Business | Psychology | Self Esteem | Happiness | Health on Apple Podcasts

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‎What prevents entrepreneurs from succeeding is not a lack of talent, skill, intelligence, opportunity or luck, but the absence of the right mental and emotional mindset and abilities that foster success. You can have world-class business chops, but if you're not in control of your mind, emotions and...

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The Top-Rated Podcast for Self-Improvement

Confidence coaching, easy-to-implement mindset strategies, and effective encouragement applicable to daily life struggles ....all transparently and passionately delivered weekly in my mission to help free 100 million women from self-doubt and small-thinking.

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Confidence Coaching | Confidence Coach | Confidence Coaching Programs

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The Top-Rated Podcast for Self-Improvement Confidence coaching, easy-to-implement mindset strategies, and effective encouragement applicable to daily life struggles ....all transparently and passionately delivered weekly in my mission to help free 100 million women from self-doubt and small-thinking.

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THE BAGGAGE RECLAIM SESSIONS with Natalie Lue

I've been offloading my excess emotional baggage and reclaiming my true self for over fifteen years and sharing that journey through my books, courses and this blog. The Baggage Reclaim Sessions is a weekly podcast where I get up close and personal with plenty of inspiration and practices for living and loving with healthy self-esteem.

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I've been offloading my excess emotional baggage and reclaiming my true self for over fifteen years and sharing that journey through my books, courses and this blog. The Baggage Reclaim Sessions is a weekly podcast where I get up close and personal with plenty of inspiration and practices for living and loving with healthy self-esteem.

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If you are looking to increase your confidence and Self Esteem then the The Confidence AND Self Esteem Podcast .com is for you. A mixture of interviews, motivational talks and practical advice hosted by James Blundell.

If you are looking to increase your confidence and Self Esteem then the The Confidence AND Self Esteem Podcast .com is for you. A mixture of interviews, motivational talks and practical advice hosted by James Blundell.

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‎Confidence & Self Esteem Podcast on Apple Podcasts

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If you are looking to increase your confidence and Self Esteem then the The Confidence AND Self Esteem Podcast .com is for you. A mixture of interviews, motivational talks and practical advice hosted by James Blundell. If you are looking to increase your confidence and Self Esteem then the The Confidence AND Self Esteem Podcast .com is for you.

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Based on a Navy SEAL's inspiring graduation speech, this #1 New York Times bestseller of powerful life lessons "should be read by every leader in America" (Wall Street Journal).
If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.

On May 17, 2014, Admiral William H. McRaven addressed the graduating class of the University of Texas at Austin on their Commencement day. Taking inspiration from the university's slogan, "What starts here changes the world," he shared the ten principles he learned during Navy Seal training that helped him overcome challenges not only in his training and long Naval career, but also throughout his life; and he explained how anyone can use these basic lessons to change themselves-and the world-for the better.

Admiral McRaven's original speech went viral with over 10 million views. Building on the core tenets laid out in his speech, McRaven now recounts tales from his own life and from those of people he encountered during his military service who dealt with hardship and made tough decisions with determination, compassion, honor, and courage. Told with great humility and optimism, this timeless book provides simple wisdom, practical advice, and words of encouragement that will inspire readers to achieve more, even in life's darkest moments.
"Powerful." -- USA Today

"Full of captivating personal anecdotes from inside the national security vault." -- Washington Post

"Superb, smart, and succinct." -- Forbes

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make your bed: little things that can change your life...and maybe the world

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self-help / motivational & inspirational

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self-help / motivational & inspirational

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Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World

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Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World [McRaven, Admiral William H.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World

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Uninvited [Lysa TerKeurst, Ginny Welsh] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Uninvited

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When our embarrassments and fears lie, we often listen to them anyway. They thwart our gratitude, acceptance, and compassion-our goodness. They insist, "I am not worthy." But we are worthy-of self-discovery, personal growth, and boundless love. With Brené Brown's game-changing New York Times bestseller The Gifts of Imperfection-which has sold more than 2 million copies in more than 30 different languages, and Forbes recently named one of the "Five Books That Will Actually Change Your Outlook On Life" -we find courage to overcome paralyzing fear and self-consciousness, strengthening our connection to the world.

A motivational and inspiring guide to wholehearted living, rather than just the average self-help book, with this groundbreaking work Brené Brown, Ph.D., bolsters the self-esteem and personal development process through her characteristic heartfelt, honest storytelling. With original research and plenty of encouragement, she explores the psychology of releasing our definitions of an "imperfect" life and embracing living authentically. Brown's "ten guideposts" are benchmarks for authenticity that can help anyone establish a practice for a life of honest beauty-a perfectly imperfect life.

Now more than ever, we all need to cultivate feelings of self-worth, as well as acceptance and love for ourselves. In a world where insults, criticisms, and fears are spread too generously alongside messages of unrealistic beauty, attainment, and expectation, we look for ways to "dig deep" and find truth and gratitude in our lives. A new way forward means we can't hold on too tightly to our own self-defeating thoughts or the displaced pain in our world. Instead, we can embrace the imperfection.

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the gifts of imperfection: let go of who you think you're supposed to be and embrace who you are

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mind & spirit / inspiration & personal growth

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self-help / motivational & inspirational

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self-help / personal growth / self-esteem

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self esteem; wholehearted living; ten guideposts; encouragement; self development; self improvement; self discovery; personal development; motivational and inspiring; personal growth; honest storytelling; overcome paralyzing fears; overcome self consciousness; courage; dare to lead; self worth; daring greatly; i thought it was just me; braving the wilderness; social anxiety; self love; tenth anniversary edition; new brene brown book; brene brown books paperback; brene brown books; 10 guideposts; 60 minutes

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mind & spirit / inspiration & personal growth

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self-help / motivational & inspirational

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self-help / personal growth / self-esteem

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are

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The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are - Kindle edition by Brown, Brené. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

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"Are you a woman, a counselor, or a group facilitator interested in growing self-love? If you answered yes, this unique workbook can show you the way. The Self-Love Workbook for Women not only addresses why self-love is so important, it guides you through an easy to read, step-by-step process, including helpful exercises and assessment tools. Megan Logan, an early adopter in the self-love movement, draws from many of the field's experts as well as from her own in-depth knowledge. I look forward to both gifting this book and using it in my private practice with individuals and groups." ―Connie Cooper, Licensed Clinical Social Worker

"This workbook is timely for those struggling with eating and body image disorders. Megan nails it first by defining self-love, next outlining the importance of self-love, then delivering the keys to loving you more. Suggestions are given for meditations, road maps with bus stops along the way, and concrete steps to affirm you are enough." ―Marilyn Dahl, RDN, MBA, CEDRD, CYT

"Do yourself a favor and dive into this book. It tackles all of the hurdles women face. It's more like all of self-help books combined, with a therapist thrown in for free. After you finish it, you can blame me for wanting to get copies for your mom, daughters, sisters, and at least 5 of your girlfriends!" ―Jessica Bradstreet, Licensed Clinical Social Worker

"This book was such an extraordinarily eye-opening read, I felt like Megan was writing this book directly for me. With the focus on women and especially our roles in our home, our kids, and work―like we are on a hamster wheel and performing a juggling act, that never stops, this book made me realize how much I need to slow down and take care of me. I can't help other people if I'm not taken care of. She really makes you think about some deep questions that I had never asked myself before―I loved the journaling and prompted diary-like approach of the book―it made it very easy to put my thoughts on paper. I would recommend this book to any woman who is trying to dig deeper and find peace in this crazy world of ours. Megan's 20+ years of experience shows in this workbook." ―Traci Bragg, MD

MEGAN LOGAN has more than 20 years of counseling experience in a variety of mental health settings, including domestic violence and sexual assault centers, an eating disorders program, and a local hospice program. For the past 10 years, she has enjoyed private practice, specializing in issues related to trauma, abuse, eating disorders, grief, and loss.

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self-love workbook for women: release self-doubt

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self-help / personal growth / self-esteem

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self love; self esteem workbook; self love books for women; self care; self help books for women

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self love;self esteem workbook;self love books for women;self care;self help books for women

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self-help / personal growth / self-esteem

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Self-Love Workbook for Women: Release Self-Doubt, Build Self-Compassion, and Embrace Who You Are

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Self-Love Workbook for Women: Release Self-Doubt, Build Self-Compassion, and Embrace Who You Are [Logan MSW LCSW, Megan] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Self-Love Workbook for Women: Release Self-Doubt, Build Self-Compassion, and Embrace Who You Are

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I Am Enough [Grace Byers, Keturah A. Bobo] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. I Am Enough

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Trying to "change" negative thoughts through cognitive gymnastics is like trying to win a war single-handedly. Why waste a life trying the impossible? In Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, advocate Dr. Steven Hayes escorts the mildly depressed, angry, and anxiety prone through a new approach to handling suffering--universal human suffering caused by language's illusions. Rather than fighting off bad thoughts and feelings with internal pep talks, Hayes beautifully explains how to embrace those pessimistic and foreboding mental voices (much like welcoming home one's cranky, play-worn children), "defuse" them with respectful attention, and commit to leading a purposeful life that includes their occasional ranting.

Intriguing exercises help readers identify their core struggles, parse these into manageable pieces, and develop effective ways to move beyond rumination. The work progresses easily, thanks to Hayes' engaging style and his grace in coaching readers. Critics of cognitive and behavioral therapies will warm to Hayes' logical explanations of language's pitfalls (even language used by other therapeutic approaches); his sometimes goofy--but surprisingly effective--exercises; well-timed etymology lessons; and his uncanny ability to predict and skillfully address reader reactions throughout the workbook. Ironically, the path to life clocks many hours in the mind; plan to dedicate an intensive month of introspection to this program. Anyone who has been accused of thinking too much, who begrudges compliments, pines for a different life, or feels trapped at a mental dead end can benefit from Hayes' superior guidance.-- Liane Thomas

Dr. Steven Hayes answers a few questions about his book, and describes how his research was inspired by his own struggles with panic and anxiety.

Questions for Steven Hayes

Amazon.com: Can you give us a lay person's primer on acceptance and commitment therapy?

Steven Hayes: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is based on a rather remarkable fact: when normal problem solving skills are applied to psychologically painful thoughts or feelings, suffering often increases. Our research program has shown this in thousands of patients, in almost every area of human suffering. Fortunately, we have discovered why this is and we have developed some ways of correcting it.

The basic research underlying ACT shows that entanglement with your own mind leads automatically to experiential avoidance: the tendency to try first to remove or change negative thoughts and feelings as a method of life enhancement. This attempted sequence makes negative thoughts and feelings more central, important, and fearsome--and often decreasing the ability to be flexible, effective, and happy.

The trick that traps us is that these unhelpful mental processes are fed by agreement OR disagreement. Your mind is like a person who has to be right about everything. If you know any people like that you know that they are excited when you agree with them but they can be even more excited and energized when you argue with them! Minds are like that. So what do you do?

ACT teaches you what to do. I will say what that is, but readers need to understand that these mere words will not be useful in and of themselves. Minds are too clever for that! That is why the book has so many exercises and why we have a free discussion group on line for people working through the book (http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ACT_for_the_Public/). What ACT teaches is acceptance of emotions, mindful awareness of thoughts, contact with a transcendent sense of self, and action based on chosen values. This constellation of skills has shown itself in controlled research to help with an amazingly large range of problems, from anxiety to managing the challenges of physical disease, from depression, to stopping smoking.

Amazon.com: Some of this work is said to have come from your own battles with anxiety and panic. How did these ideas apply to your own struggles?

Steven Hayes: It was my own panic disorder that first put me on to the problem we have now confirmed in our research. My panic disorder began a little over 25 years ago. I watched in horror as it grew rapidly, simply by applying my normal problem solving skills to it. Anxiety felt awful and seemingly made it impossible to function, so it was obvious to me that I first needed to get rid of it before my life would improve. I tried lots of things to do that. But this very effort meant I had to constantly evaluate my level of anxiety, and fearfully check to see if it was going up or down as a result of my efforts. As a result, anxiety quickly became the central focus of my life. Anxiety itself became something to be anxious about, and meanwhile life was put on hold.

After two or three years of this I'd had enough. I began to experiment with acceptance, mindfulness, and valued action instead of detecting, disputing, and changing my insides.

I remember a moment that symbolizes the change in direction. In the middle of a panic attack, with a guttural scream like you hear in the movies, I literally shouted out loud to my own mind. "You can make me feel pain, you can make me feel anxiety," I yelled. "But you cannot make me turn away from my own experience."

It has not been a smooth path and it was several years before anxiety itself was obviously way down (getting it to go down was no longer my purpose, remember, but ironically when you stop trying to make it happen, often it does), but almost immediately life opened up again. ACT is the result of over 20 years of research, following the lead this provided.

Amazon.com: You are a language researcher and chapter two of Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life is called "Why Language Leads to Suffering." Can you tell us why you suggest that language is a source of human suffering?

Steven Hayes: Human language (by that I mean our symbolic abilities generally) is central to effective human cognition. It evolved to keep us from starving or being eaten--and it has done a pretty good job of that.

The key to symbolic processes is the ability to relate events in new and arbitrary ways. Our research program has shown this ability even in 14 month old babies, and we now know it comes from direct training from parents and others as part of normal language development. It is a wonderful skill. It allows us to imagine futures that have never been, and to compare situations that have never actually been experienced. That is the every essence of human verbal problem solving.

But that same process has a downside for human beings. For example, it allows us to fear things we have never experienced (e.g., death). It allows us to run from the past or compare the dull present to a fantasized future and to be unhappy as a result. And in my case it lead to the common sense but ultimately unhelpful idea that I needed to get rid of anxiety before I could live well.

We get a lot of training in how to develop and use our minds, but we get very little training in how to step out of the mental chatter when that is needed. As a result, this mental tool begins to use us. It will even claim to BE us. The overextension of human language and cognition, I believe, is at the core of the vast majority of human suffering in the developed world and human technology (the media) is only amplifying the problem by exposing us to an ever increasing stream of symbols and images. Learning how to get out of your mind and into your life when you need to do that is an essential skill in the modern world.

"With kindness, erudition, and humor, the authors of Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life educate readers into a new way of thinking about psychological issues in general and life satisfaction in particular. Their combination of cutting-edge research and resonance with ancient, tried-and-true practices makes this one of the most fascinating and illuminating self-help books available. If you're tired of standard psychological parlance and still frustrated with your quality of life, this book can be a godsend." - Martha Beck, columnist for O Magazine and author of Finding Your Own North Star and Expecting Adam.

"This manual, firmly based on cutting-edge psychological science and theory, details an innovative and rapidly growing approach that can provide you with the power to transform your very experience of life. Highly recommended for all of us." - David H. Barlow, professor of psychology, research professor of psychiatry, and director of the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University.

"This is the quintessential workbook on acceptance and commitment therapy. Written with wit, clinical wisdom, and compassionate skepticism, it succeeds in showing us that, paradoxically, there is great therapeutic value in going out of our minds. Once released from the struggle with thought, we are free to discover that a life of meaning and value is closer at hand than thought allowed. This book will serve patients, therapists, researchers, and educators looking for an elegant exposition of the nuts and bolts of this exciting approach." - Zindel V. Segal, Ph.D., the Morgan Firestone Chair in Psychotherapy and professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Toronto and author of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression.

"This book is a user-friendly tool for clinicians who may be looking for adjunct handouts for clients with a wide variety of issues. Exercises found within can help deepen, structure, or guide experiences contacted in session. As a stand-alone self-help book, it brings to light the guiding principles that make ACT such an empowering approach. I highly recommend this book to clinicians and laypeople alike." - Sandra Georgescu, Psy.D., assistant professor at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

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get out of your mind and into your life: the new acceptance and commitment therapy (a new harbinger self-help workbook)

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Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (A New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook)

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Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (A New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook) [Steven C. Hayes, Spencer Smith] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers.

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what's right with me: positive ways to celebrate your strengths

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self-help / personal growth / self-esteem

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self-help / personal growth / self-esteem

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What's Right with Me: Positive Ways to Celebrate Your Strengths, Build Self-Esteem, and Reach Your Potential

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What's Right with Me: Positive Ways to Celebrate Your Strengths, Build Self-Esteem, and Reach Your Potential [Carlene DeRoo, Carolyn DeRoo] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. What's Right with Me: Positive Ways to Celebrate Your Strengths, Build Self-Esteem, and Reach Your Potential

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What To Say When You Talk To Your Self - Kindle edition by Helmstetter, Shad. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading What To Say When You Talk To Your Self.

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Download self-esteem building worksheets and activities. Popular self-esteem resources include gratitude exercises, journaling, and self-exploration activities.

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Self Esteem, Growth Mindset Worksheets & Teaching Resources | TpT

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Browse self esteem, growth mindset resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, a marketplace trusted by millions of teachers for original educational resources.

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Take a look at the table below, which compares confident behavior with behavior that's associated with low self-confidence. Which thoughts or actions do you recognize in yourself?

As these examples show, low self-confidence can be self-destructive, and may manifest itself as negativity.

Self-confident people are generally more positive - they value themselves and trust their judgment. But they also acknowledge their failures and mistakes, and learn from them.

Why Self-Confidence Matters

Self-confidence is vital in almost every aspect of our lives, yet many people struggle to find it. Sadly, this can become a vicious cycle: people who lack self-confidence are less likely to achieve the success that could give them more confidence.

For example, you may not be inclined to back a project that's pitched by someone who's visibly nervous, fumbling, or constantly apologizing. On the other hand, you're persuaded by someone who speaks clearly, holds their head high, and answers questions with assurance.

Confident people inspire confidence in others: their audience, their co-workers, their bosses, their customers, and their friends. And gaining the confidence of others is one of the key ways to succeed. In the following sections, we'll see how you can do this.

How to Appear More Confident to Others

Picture anyone you know that you think of as highly confident - what characteristics do they have that make you think this? It's most likely one or more of these things:

the way they speak (tone, how they project their voice, words),

their energy and enthusiasm,

how expert or knowledgeable they are about something.

You can show self-confidence in your behavior, your body language, and in what you say and how you say it.

Projecting a positive image to others can help you to improve your self-confidence. It's not simply a matter of "faking it" - if you project with confidence, others are more likely to respond well, and this positive feedback will help you to believe in yourself.

Body Language

If you're presenting, spreading your hands apart with palms slightly toward your audience shows openness and a willingness to share ideas.

Face-to-Face Communication

Engaging with people is important, so maintain eye contact while you talk. This shows that you're interested in what the other person is saying, and that you're taking an active part in the conversation. Don't fidget or look away while the conversation continues, as this can make you appear distracted or anxious.

Build Expert Power

You are likely to appear (and feel) confident when you know what you're talking about. With a wealth of knowledge on a subject, you'll be more prepared to answer questions and speak on the spot.

If you lack confidence because of a gap in your expertise, work on finding out more information. Are there any relevant webinars or events you could attend? Is there a course you could take? Or perhaps you could find a mentor. See our article, Building Expert Power, and our Skillbook for more tips on this.

Rebuilding Confidence at Work

Changes to the way they work and long periods away from work negatively impact many people's confidence. One study found that over a third of people returning to the workplace after a year or more away experience a loss of confidence in their own ability. [3] You might struggle to make your voice heard in meetings, or feel lost or isolated without the company of your colleagues while working from home, for example.

People with low self-confidence often feel that they don't deserve to be happy, and that it's somehow justifiable for others to treat them badly. While the feeling may be very real, the belief is certainly not!

Three Ways to Build Your Confidence

While there are quick fixes to address acute issues with your self-confidence, building confidence in the long term requires making some changes to your lifestyle and forming robust plans. Here are three ways to do that:

1. Build Confident Habits

To develop and improve your self-esteem, aim to develop good habits - and break bad ones! Regular exercise and a healthy diet can dramatically improve your physical and mental health. And studies have shown that getting a good night's sleep is linked with increased optimism and self-esteem. [4]

2. Review Past Achievements

Your self-confidence will increase when you're able to say, "I can do this, and here's the evidence." As part of your Personal SWOT Analysis, you'll have identified things that you're good at, based on your past achievements.

3. Set Confidence-Boosting Goals

Setting and achieving goals - and seeing how far you've come - are key ways to develop self-confidence.

When you've identified the major goals you want to achieve, clarify the first steps you need to take. Make sure that they're small steps, taking no longer than an hour to do. This will get the ball rolling and improve your confidence through the achievement of appropriate goals.

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How to Build Self-Confidence - Preparing Yourself for Success

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Self-confidence isn't innate. Discover three ways to build your confidence for the long term, as well as practical steps you can take right now.