How do we Enhance our Self-esteem?

Easy is to judge the mistakes of others, the difficulty is to recognize your own mistakes. Protecting your feet with slippers is easier than covering the earth with carpet. The only person you can change is you!

We generally invest in enhancing our Personality or Image Makeover to impress others, but in that process, we forget the most important person, our own self. Image is first you inside your own eyes and mind, then comes the eyes and minds of others.

What matters most is how we see ourselves. How others see you is not important, how you see yourself means everything. If you are confident inside, you will be confident outside. Personality is Inside-out, Outside-in.

Inner Image is our personal view of ourselves, our mental image /self-portrait. It Is an internal dictionary that describes the characteristics of the self.

Inner Image is a product of learning and experience. 

Body Image or Body dissatisfaction, the experience of negative thoughts and feelings about one’s body and appearance, is a powerful (in fact, the most potent) and consistent precursor of a whole range of unhealthy body-related behaviors.

Heard these/Said These?

I’m fat.

I’m too skinny.

I’d be happy if I was taller.

I’d be happy if I was shorter.

I’d be happy if I had curly hair.

I’d be happy if I had straight hair.

I’d be happy if I had long hair.

I’d be happy if I had a smaller nose.

Everyone feels insecure about their bodies at some point in their lives. Nature isn’t like an assembly line, which churns out perfect-looking exact copies of products. It all started slowly when you were a kid of age 2 years plus when others have commented about you positively or negatively. 

Our Body Image and Inner Image put together is our Self-Image. Our self-image is how we perceive ourselves in terms of our Physical appearance and Intelligence. Not what abilities we have but what we think we have becomes our Self-Image.

Parents, Siblings, other close relatives and even our caretakers in childhood make the greatest contribution to our self-image. They are mirrors reflecting back to us an image of ourselves. We are conditioned by Previous Experiences, conditioned by Circumstances, Situations, Parents, Peers, Friends, Relatives etc-In short by society as a whole. 

How we think about ourselves directly affects how we feel about ourselves and how we respond to life. Self-image can determine the quality of our relationships with others and affects our physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being. 

Self-image is dynamic and changing. We can learn to develop a healthier and more accurate view of ourselves.

In some people that internal voice can be too critical and harsh, leading to low self-esteem. In others, it may be so weak that they don’t notice when they are mean or insensitive to others.

Self-esteem is all about how much people value themselves, the pride they feel in themselves, and how worthwhile they feel. Self-esteem is important because feeling good about yourself can affect how you act. A person who has high self-esteem will make friends easily, Is more in control of his or her behaviour. Will enjoy life more.

Body image can be closely linked to self-esteem. That’s because as kids become teens and adults, they care more about how others see them. If you have a positive body image, you probably like and accept yourself the way you are.

How do we Enhance our Self-esteem?

• Nip – negative thoughts in the bud. Sometimes putting a stop to negative thinking is as easy as that
• The next time you start giving yourself an internal browbeating, tell yourself to “stop it!”
• Accept imperfections. Perfection is a high goal to aim for – you don’t need to start there or even end there
• Take an inner-image inventory 
• Define personal goals and objectives 
• Set realistic and measurable goals
• Confront thinking distortions 
• Identify childhood labels 
• Stop comparing yourself to others
• Develop your strengths 
• Learn to love yourself 
• Give positive affirmations
• Remember that you are unique 
• Learn to laugh and smile 
• Remember how far you have come

Wishing you a Happy and Purposeful life!