What is Self-Esteem?
Self-esteem refers to our sense of personal worth or value and involves our level of confidence in our abilities. Others also refer to self-esteem as self-worth, self-respect, and self-love. Factors that influence our self-esteem include how much we trust ourselves, how we identify ourselves, feelings of belonging, and feeling competent. Self-esteem influences our motivation, mental well-being, and quality of life.
It even affects our decision making process and our relationships with others. Having a balance is ideal as excessive self-esteem and low self-esteem can cause problems (Cherry, 2023).
What Does Excessive Self-Esteem Look Like?
Individuals with excessive self-esteem experience the following:
Worrying about always being perfect
Wanting to always be right
Difficulty believing they make mistakes
Believing they are better than everyone
Overestimating skills and abilities
What Does Low Self-Esteem Look Like?
Individuals with low-self-esteem experience the following:
Believing others are better than them
Difficulty expressing needs
Only focusing on their weaknesses
Doubting themselves frequently
Feeling an intense fear of failing
Having a negative perspective of life
Difficulty accepting positive comments
What Does Healthy Self-Esteem Look Like?
Individuals with healthy self-esteem:
Avoid living in the past
Express their needs
Have a positive outlook
Say “no” when necessary
Understand strengths and weaknesses
Believe they are equal to everyone else
How Do I Improve My Self-Esteem?
Understand your abilities and talents
Understand your needs and express them
Have realistic expectations
Have a healthy relationship with yourself
Maintain healthy relationships with others
Steps to Improve Self-Esteem
You can think of the word “ESTEEM” to remember these steps you can take:
E- Energize yourself
S- Stomp out negative thoughts
T- Trust yourself
E- Engage with others to get inspired
E- Embrace your uniqueness
M- Motivate yourself