Blog

Many individuals deal with low self-esteem. Low self-esteem can come from many different areas of life such as possible anxiety that is getting in the way of having a confident and healthy lifestyle. It can be difficult to know where to start first when attempting to increase your self-esteem. Let’s take an anxiety therapy look at a brief step-by-step guide to improving your self-esteem.

Improving Your Self-Esteem | Anxiety Therapy Step 1: Challenge Your Stinking Thinking

Some Low self-esteem can come from bad thoughts that go around in our head over and over and like leftover food in a fridge can become toxic and smell bad. When we get thoughts like this it’s important to slow down and stop our thoughts and challenge our thoughts to shift from stinking thoughts to clean and fresh thoughts. You are worth it.

Improving Your Self-Esteem | Anxiety Therapy Step 2: Apply Intentional Care to Yourself

It’s important to remind ourselves we all make mistakes. The difference in some people is they have learned to sometimes cover it up better, however, that doesn’t mean they are dealing with their personal challenges. When we find ourselves in a situation where we make a mistake that is going to affect our self-esteem it’s important to intentionally take care of yourself and do something you enjoy. Remember the wise words of Thumper when the rabbit says “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at at.” These words are also true to our self-esteem. Let’s treat others as we want to be treated ourselves. You are worth it.

Improving Your Self-Esteem | Anxiety Therapy Step 3: Celebrate Your Wins

No matter how big or small, changing your self-esteem can be difficult so it’s important to celebrate the wins when we or someone else recognizes the change occurring within ourselves. Celebrating a win can be as complex as going out to dinner, or as simple as giving yourself a high five to yourself. When we celebrate wins, it reinforces our self-esteem and gives us the courage and strength to carry out this journey of change that has been decided on. You are worth it.

Improving Your Self-Esteem | Anxiety Therapy Step 4: Stay Healthy

Health is an often-overlooked component. Things such as what we are eating or drinking can contribute to various physiological outcomes including fatigue. When we are tired, it can be harder to keep motivated in the journey towards healthy self-esteem. Tiredness can also allow our emotions to be more vulnerable and therefore easier to take offense or be emotionally hurt. When we are eating healthier, our bodies will have more energy and the ability to connect with our body and mind to ward off the negative challenges of the day that may have brought about low self-esteem issues or at the very least give us the strength to carry on. You are worth it.

Improving Your Self-Esteem | Anxiety Therapy Step 5: Learn and Apply Assertiveness Techniques

Assertive techniques are something some therapists utilize when supporting anxiety therapy or low self-esteem. With low self-esteem often comes the inability to confront healthily or set healthy boundaries with others that often place us in a compromising position we later regret. Assertive techniques often support the individual to grow in courage and confidence and tend to work well alongside a trained counselling therapist.  Assertiveness training ultimately gives you the ability to deal with people within your world in a caring and honorable way without feelings of shame afterwards.

You are worth it.

Improving Your Self-Esteem | Anxiety Therapy Step 6: Increase your Safety Network

We’re not wired to do this life thing by ourselves. It’s important to develop and place positive people in our lives that will encourage us and also challenge us to become the best person they already see in us, that we don’t always see in ourselves…Yet.

Improving Your Self-Esteem | Anxiety Therapy Step 7: Be Gentle to Yourself

Changing your self-esteem to a positive self-esteem can take time and it’s important to be gentle to yourself through this process and not condemn yourself or not give up right away. In time your goal of becoming a person demonstrating positive self-esteem can happen. 

If you are in a position where you are struggling to change your low self-esteem it may be time to seek out a qualified counselling therapist, clinical counsellor, or psychotherapist and begin to walk in New Life…You are worth it.