All opinions are mine and mine alone.
Our opinion of ourselves is pivotal to everything. If we are confident in what we can do, we can handle the biggest challenges and respond accordingly. But that notion of self-esteem is not just about stepping up to the plate; it’s about learning from mistakes, being resilient, but also so embracing our identity and feeling like we belong or are welcome. Changing our opinion of ourselves is not the easiest thing to achieve, so what are the things that we can do to improve this?
Do the Things That Make You Happy
If you start doing the things you enjoy, you are going to think more positively. Sometimes it’s about tackling a problem that’s been chipping away at us. For example, if it’s something like visceral fat, we may choose to undergo liposuction, but also, it’s about ensuring we schedule in “me-time” every single day. The things that make you happy are worth making time for.
Be Nice to Yourself
That internal monologue that tells us we cannot do something is one of life’s frustrations. But when we make the effort to be kind to ourselves and make a misfire, we can start to challenge any of these negative thoughts. One of the best ways to do this is to start speaking to ourselves as if we were speaking to our friends; after all, you wouldn’t verbally berate someone you cared about, so why should you do it to yourself?
Do Not Be Perfect
Perfection is unrealistic and, more importantly, unattainable. We should always strive to be the best version of ourselves, but in doing this, we have to accept that there are speed bumps along the way. The reality is that when we see someone else supposedly having the perfect existence, they are not. Anybody on social media will always perfectly craft their posts to make it look like everything is blissful, and this inevitably feeds into that fear of missing out.
Focus on Being You
Comparing yourself to others is one of the quickest ways to feel terrible. Focus on your own achievements, goals, and benchmarks, and don’t measure them against somebody else’s, because this is going to increase your sense of pressure and deadlines. When we start to remove the idea of deadlines within ourselves, it’s amazing how freeing it can be.
Look at What You Can Change
When we get preoccupied with all these things we can’t control means we are fighting against the tide. We’re not going to fix them because they are out of our control. Instead, try to focus your energy on identifying what is in your control and problem-solving what you can do about that. You can start very simply by identifying something in your life that you are happy with, but looking at ways that you could change it.
Exercise
Exercise is not just a great way to lose weight but is something that has far-reaching positive implications. Exercise can increase our confidence in ourselves because we’re losing weight or getting stronger, but it can also be the perfect framework to increase our motivation. When we start to practice setting goals, either in terms of losing weight or increasing our strength, it keeps us on track. Many people, for this very reason, go to a structured class such as a boxing gym, which has given many people many benefits, not just because of the fitness and health aspects but a contact sport such as this means they have to look in the mirror and ask a lot of questions about themselves, not least in terms of conflict. For a lot of people, starting to exercise and overcoming a fear of lifting weights or being hit allows them to understand that the things they’ve been worrying about are small fry.
Celebrate the Little Things
We focus on the negative aspects of the little things, but one little victory at the start of the day can do so much for your sense of perception. When you start to celebrate that little victory, whether it’s waking up on time, eating healthily, or getting ahead of yourself, you start to build confidence slowly but surely. Additionally, looking back at what you’ve done at the end of the day and listing the positives or practicing gratitude will always do a lot for your opinion of yourself.
We are always our worst critics. The reality is that we’ve got to improve our opinions of ourselves because it helps us break away from negative thinking and the fallouts of bad habits. Improving your opinion of yourself by changing your self-esteem will do a lot for you in every corner of your life.
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