What Is Self Esteem?



To find out the answer to the question "what is self esteem", you have to look at how you view yourself and to understand that self esteem is very different to self confidence.

Self esteem is a large topic which I cover in these pages.  There are many ways for increasing your self esteem and confidence and it is well worth taking some time to help yourself in this area, and really finding out what is self esteem.

Self Esteem vs Self Confidence


In life you refer to qualities you have about yourself, and you label them as "self image", "self confidence", "self concept". These are qualities you have and they describe how you see yourself, but when it comes to self esteem, we attach another label - "self acceptance", "self respect" and "self worth", and these are opinions you have of yourself.

Can you see the difference between the words?

And when you start to place a value on these latter labels, then you have self esteem. If you think you're not very good at something, then that negative equals a low self esteem.

What is self esteem and how do you define it?

The definition of self esteem is "personal overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth" (from Wikipedia).

Self esteem is a personal opinion of yourself, and how you view yourself.

Self confidence, on the other hand, is poise, self assurance and confidence in yourself.

It is also about the beliefs you have about yourself. These beliefs are often deep rooted within you; beliefs you have grown up with over the years. They may in fact be so strong that you actually interpret them as facts, rather than opinions, and if these beliefs are generally negative, then it's likely you have a low self esteem.

So now is the time to learn how to overcome low self esteem. This will mean making changes in your life - taking a risk and realising you can do it.

Negative self esteem will definitely impact your life, and also knock your self confidence, so you need to be able to have to a hand a self esteem worksheet whereby you can readily write down the issues you are having, and learn to look at them objectively.  This is what a self esteem worksheet will do for you.

If you recognise the signs of low self esteem, you will understand that now is the time to learn how to build up your self esteem by finding things you are good at, doing them and then rewarding yourself. I'll cover this in more detail later, but it is important to give yourself a pat on the back every now and again. And you shouldn't feel stupid about doing it either.

Remember that nothing is set in stone and you can change. Taking these 4# top tips on how to increase self esteem just help with your overall self development program.

You can learn to have a high self esteem and there is certainly no reason for you to remain where you are now.

YOUR LIFE - YOU DECIDE TO CHANGE

Now you've read this far, ask yourself again, "what is self esteem". I hope you have a better understanding of the word.

Let's progress further and find other ways of improving self esteem.

Self esteem tips are often a good and quick way of finding out how you can improve and build your self esteem.  Take a look at these tips for some encouraging ways to counter your thoughts that you possibly have no self esteem.

Identifying your strengths and noting them down helps towards your whole self improvement process. Using some self esteem activities will show you exactly how to do this.  But don't rule out self esteem exercises either - although these may sound hard work, they really aren't, and are exercises you can readily to in the comfort of your everyday life.

Teen self esteem is also a vitally important topic to cover. Teenagers are sometimes at a loss to understand why they feel as they do, how self esteem relates to them and what is self esteem in relation to their thinking.

They know they aren't quite adults, but also believe they aren't children. Having so many years ahead of them, they need to realise that they can change their thinking. They don't have to feel awkward or put down.

Kids in particular can learn self esteem by being taught some really fun self esteem games. Games teach them how to interact with others and also how to enjoy success.

Low self esteem will obviously vary from person to person. In order to combat low self esteem, sometimes it's a simple matter of doing something different in your life - for some it might simply be taking some form of exercise in order to release the endorphines. You may just find that a challenging situaiton may trigger a feeling of low self esteem, making you believe you can't carry out the task required.

For others however, low self esteem may sink to such depths that you constantly feel inadequate. The feeling never seems to go away, whatever you try and it's hard to step back and see the wood for the trees. This extreme of low self esteem may need professional help.

If you consider yourself in the former category, then I've got some great self esteem boosters to help you along.

A final word on what is self esteem - do remember that any change in your self esteem will take some work from you. It won't happen overnight, but it certainly is not impossible.


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