By Sheila Ferguson
A steady diet of positive self-nurture involves getting over disbelief and dissatisfaction with your life, or the various relationships and situations you are involved in. You can do this by:
- Stopping the tape of negative self-talk messages playing in your head.
- Finding or creating a personal affirmation that builds you up and fills the emotional void. Your selected affirmations should provide you with positive thoughts about self-love and appreciation. They should also stimulate your feelings of worthiness. An example might be as simple as: “I love and accept me unconditionally.
- Reading self-help books that motivate you to find joy and become your best self.
- Find your purpose and passion by focusing on your strengths. Consider volunteering to help needy children, homeless teens, isolated and homebound elders, or abused animals. These activities will allow you to find purpose, make valuable social contributions and uplift others. Before you know it, you will feel 100 percent better about yourself.
- Have an attitude of gratitude. Say thank you to everyone daily. Also give thanks for your life and all circumstances, good and evil, as they are our life’s teachers. Consider creating a gratitude journal.
- Mirror positive self-talk and pat yourself on the back daily (literally or figuratively). Take time to talk to yourself while looking in the mirror. Smile back at yourself and tell yourself how great you are.
- Make a habit of evening reflections; sit quietly and reflect on your excellent and successful day’s work at bedtime. Find the perfect and praiseworthy aspects of your daily life and cheer yourself on. Think only of the glass being half full, not half empty.
- Build a new set of social activities to have fun and lighthearted exchanges.
Finally, begin extending much love, kindness, care, and affirmation to others. Fighting to build your self-esteem can become one of the most worthwhile and exciting projects.
Links to Other Resources on Self Esteem
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brené Brown
The Happiness Track: How to Apply the Science of Happiness to Accelerate Your Success by Emma Seppala
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