By: Patricia González Zayas

Hey guys, hope you’ve had a great week! Today I am going to be talking about self-esteem.

Self-esteem is confidence in one’s own worth or abilities. In other words, self-respect and how you feel about yourself. Everyone experiences this and there are 3 types of self-esteem: low, high, and inflated.

Lately, my self-esteem has not been the best, but I am taking it day by day and it is a work in progress; I’m sure most of you reading this can relate. But since many people suffer from low self-esteem at least at one point of their life, today we are going to focus on this specific one and how we can improve it.

Here are some tips to boost your self-esteem and how you see yourself:

1. Identify and challenge these negative beliefs– When you find yourself thinking you are not good enough, try to look for evidence that contradicts these kinds of negative thoughts. It may not be an easy thing to do so if you are having a hard time finding these good qualities, ask someone close to you.
2. Avoid negative relationships– Some relationships and friendships, make us feel better than others. If you surround yourself with people who make you feel bad about yourself or judge you, take a step back and focus on the good people that actually want what’s best for you.
3. Give yourself a break– We all get burn-out at some point. You do not have to be perfect every minute of every hour of every day. When you start to feel like this, focus on self-care; you deserve it! Personally, when I start feeling stressed or overwhelmed, I work out listening to music to clear my mind. We all have our own stress relievers; whether it’s sports, music, art, dance, etc. Just find what works best for you.
4. Learn to say no– Many of us tend to be people pleasers. This may be caused by having a low self-esteem, which makes it difficult to stand up for ourselves. This can increase stress and affect your mental and physical health, making it even harder to manage everyday tasks.
5. Be more assertive– Assertiveness can improve our self-esteem. Sometimes, you just need to “fake it ‘till you make it”, to eventually increase this self-confidence and start believing in yourself.

We all go through this; it is a normal thing. However, if it is affecting your everyday life significantly, please seek help from a family member, friend, or professional. You are not alone! I really hope this helped and have a great weekend!

Sources: https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/self-esteem.html <%22>
   https://cmbankng.com/cmbank/2020/07/27/cmb-self-esteem-types/ <%22>