FAQ: How can I improve my self-esteem?
Practise basic self-care.
Sometimes people dismiss self-care as something that doesn’t actually make a difference. But while it might not solve all your problems, it does usually help to treat yourself as though you deserve to be cared for (which you do). Get enough sleep, drink lots of water, eat enough food with enough nutrients in it, get some fresh air and exercise, talk to the people who care about you, make time to relax and do things that you enjoy. It’s easier to learn to like yourself if you’re taking care of your basic needs.
Make a list of evidence.
Get a notebook, or a piece of paper, or a word document, or a notes app on your phone, and every day write down at least one positive thing about yourself. This could be a personality trait (”I’m honest/funny”), or a physical trait (”I have nice hair/eyes”), or something you’re good at (”I’m a fast runner/good listener”), or something you did that day that went well (”I handed in my work on time/I cooked dinner for my family”). When you’re feeling bad about yourself, read through the list and look at the evidence that actually, there are good things about being you. The longer you keep this up, the more evidence you’ll collect.
Practise reframing your thoughts.
If you often find yourself in thinking spirals where one bad thing happens, and so you start to think about everything that has ever gone wrong and everything you’ve ever disliked about yourself, it can help to practise stopping yourself mid-terrible-thought-stream, and rephrase your thought in a more balanced way. For example, “I made a mistake at work, which is proof that I’m bad at my job and a terrible person” might change to “it sucks that I made a mistake, but I will learn from it and do better next time. Making a mistake doesn’t mean I’m bad at what i do, or a bad person”. It might take time to start believing your new, reframed thoughts. But the first step is to stop instantly believing the negative things you say to yourself, and start questioning them.
To practise questioning your thoughts next time you’re thinking negatively about yourself, you could ask yourself questions like these:
What evidence is there that this statement is true? What evidence is there that this statement is false?
If a close friend said this about themselves, how would I respond?
Even if this one negative thing is true, does it mean that I am beyond help/my life is ruined forever/everything else about me is awful?
If Donald Trump said this to me, what would I say to him in response?
Do something positive with your time.
If you’re feeling like a bad person, or useless, do something to counteract that. Send a text to a friend asking how they are. Call your grandparents. Invite someone over for dinner. Leave a nice comment on someone’s social media post. Create your own supportive or motivating social media post. Offer to run an errand for a stressed out family member. Give some money or food to a homeless person. Donate to a food bank. Sign up for some voluntary work. Making someone’s day a little better is something we can all do.
Aim for something realistic.
Guess what? You don’t have to like everything about yourself. Someone with good self-esteem can be aware of their strengths and their flaws - the difference is how much you focus or place importance on those strengths and flaws. It’s okay to dislike something about yourself, as long as you don’t focus on that trait as your main defining trait. It’s okay to think you’re imperfect (because everyone is), as long as you don’t end up thinking “I’m not perfect, so I must be a terrible person”. You don’t have to be the best person that ever lived - how would we even measure that? You still have worth, even with your faults.
Honestly, I find some positivity advice a bit too positive! It’s not usually realistic to go straight from “I hate myself” to “I am a beautiful bad-ass god/dess”. So if you’re currently at “I hate myself”, aim to get to “I don’t hate myself” before you jump to “I love myself”. Improving your self-esteem is still an achievement, even if your new opinion of yourself is less “I’m amazing”, and more “I’m not that bad”.


















