15 Ways to Improve Your Self-Esteem

A fulfilling and confident life is based on a good self esteem. It’s an inevitable truth: if you want to get over self doubt, tap into your potential, or gain emotional resilience, boosting your self esteem is a must.

I’ve prepared 15 super practical and inspiring tips to help you increase your self esteem.

1. Challenge Negative Self-Talk

How you talk to yourself determines what you think of yourself. Best of all, replace harsh criticism with encouraging and constructive thoughts. Consider, “I always fail,” instead, as “I am learning and growing every day.”

2. Set Realistic Goals

To begin, determine what goals are ‘attainable’ with regards to both time and resources, and are productive for your values. Victories, no matter how small, are worth celebrating and help build confidence and reinforce that you did something (well done for yourself!)

3. Practice Self-Compassion

Treat yourself with the same kindness you’d offer a friend. We have to accept the fact that everyone makes mistakes and that is just part of being a human.

4. Surround Yourself with Positive People

Your surrounding environment has a great impact on your self-esteem. Build relationships with people who inspire you and want to see you grow, rather than those who drain your energy or spread negativity.

5. Focus on Your Strengths

Make a list of your talents, skills, and accomplishments. Reflecting on what you are talented at can help encounter self-doubt.

6. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

Constantly comparing yourself to others is like throwing your life and potential away.

Focus on your life and measure progress against your past self, not others. Everyone is great the way they are, we just have to embrace ourselves more.

7. Take Care of Your Body

A healthy body supports a healthy mind. Doing regular exercise, having a healthy diet and a very good sleep will make you feel more energized and confident.

8. Learn Something New

Constantly learning new skills or knowledge boosts your confidence. Take a new course, learn a new language, or take on a new hobby that makes you smarter, stronger, healthier and wealthier, the rest will take a good care of itself.

9. Celebrate Your Achievements

Take some time to look back at your previous accomplishments, big and small. Recognizing your efforts reinforces your belief in your abilities.

10. Practice Gratitude

Daily gratitude helps you focus what you have rather than what you lack. List fives things you’re grateful for each day to cultivate positivity.

11. Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

Growth comes from pushing boundaries. Take risks, like trying a new activity that you never have done before, going to places you have never been there before, or pick a side hustle that you think it’s challenging enough for you. Over time it will boost your confidence.

12. Seek Professional Support

If low self-esteem still persists after you’ve tried so many things already, consider reaching out to a therapist or other relevant professional. Their guidance can help identify and spot deeper issues.

13. Develop a Growth Mindset

View every challenges as opportunities to learn and grow rather than as failures or mistakes. Embrace and enjoy every mistakes as it is the only way we can grow as a human.

14. Avoid Perfectionism

Seeking for perfection can only lead to feelings of inadequacy and never be enough. Shift your focus on making progress instead, and celebrate your journey rather than fixating on flaws. Perfection is just a myth.

15. Practice Daily Affirmations

Daily positive affirmations, such as “I am capable more than I know” or “I deserve more in life,” help reprogram your mind to focus on strengths and potential. Inner voice is very powerful, use it wisely.

Why Self-Esteem Matters

Creating self esteem does not mean ‘feeling good’ anymore, it means unlocking your full potential. Having high self esteem will help relationships, increase resilience, help in achieving personal and professional goals. With constant practice of these 15 strategies you are bound to form a positive self image and have the ability to live the life you have always wanted.