3 Tips I Use To Build Self-Esteem

I value others’ opinions above my own because I value them more than myself.

“If you want to be respected by others, the great thing is to respect yourself. Only by that, only by self-respect will you compel others to respect you.” Fyodor Dostoevsky

I have struggled with self-esteem my whole life. Subconsciously I’ve always thought other people were better than me.

Now I know why.

I listen to other people and accept their judgment because I value their opinion over my own. I don’t trust myself or have strong opinions so I am easily swayed.

Because of my low self-image, I look to other people to dictate how I feel about myself.

I defer to others and allow them to make decisions and react to what happens.

This passive, non-committal, way of approaching life has left me unfulfilled and unhappy.

We need to respect ourselves as much as we respect others.

Our self-esteem and self-image play a huge role in our happiness and how people view us. The more respect we have for ourselves the more confident we become in our actions.

Having confidence in ourselves and our abilities allows us to handle adversities along the way.

Building self-respect and self-love are the best ways to improve our mental health and relationships.

Building self-esteem isn’t easy, I still struggle with it, here are a few things I remind myself of when I start to spiral.

Everyone has problems and shortcomings. Just because they are better than me at one thing or have more than me doesn’t mean they are better than me. We all have things we are afraid of, things we are ashamed of, things we try to avoid. Thinking someone else is perfect is silly, we all make mistakes.

This too shall pass. When I look back on all the bad times I’ve had and all the awkward situations I’ve been in, I realize I’m still alive. We tend to fight against or outright avoid negativity in our lives. The reality is, although it might be hard and uncomfortable now, it will pass and everything will be ok.

The more we run and try to avoid problems the worse they get. Anytime I try to avoid something I usually have to face it eventually and the consequences are much worse.

Having respect for ourselves makes us happier and changes our priorities.

When we respect ourselves we don’t waste our time with negative people.

We spend time with people we like and enjoy. Building connections and relationships with meaning.

We do things we believe in and care about because they have meaning and we believe in our ability to create change.

Things are going to go wrong, people suck and do evil things. Strong self-esteem is the best defense against whatever the world throws our way.

Here is another article I wrote if you want to read more.