One thing that we talk about a LOT in both of our series is self-esteem. But what is it and how does it effect us?
Self-esteem is how we feel about ourselves. Do you like yourself most of the time? Or do you NOT like yourself most of the time? Think about the things you say to yourself. If you made a mistake today, say missed a doctor's appointment, what would you tell yourself? Is it something like, “Oh shoot, I made a mistake! I need to be more careful with my schedule.” Or do you say something like, “What an idiot I am! I ALWAYS mess things up.” Sometimes we say the nastiest, meanest things to ourselves. Things we would never say to someone else!
Self-esteem effects our relationships too. Feeling good about YOU will help you have better relations
hips with the people around you. When you know who you are and what you want from life, it is MUCH easier to let others know. This leads to better relationships. Feeling good about ourselves, or having good self-esteem, is also one of the best ways to protect ourselves from abuse. Think about it- if I feel good about myself, I will NOT let people treat me poorly!
The tricky part here is that having good self-esteem is not usually something you get and then always have. It's normal to have times when we doubt ourselves, but with work, we should feel good about ourselves most days. Really, self-esteem is something we should ALL work on, EVERY day.
In the next blog post, we'll talk about some ways you can raise your self-esteem and feel better about yourself!
