Tips on How to Overcome Low Self-Esteem

Sometimes, we have those moments of weakness when we can’t seem to find something good in ourselves and we resort to feeling worthless and having an intense amount of self-pity. It’s not a pretty picture and it can be hard to bounce back from especially when you don’t have a lot of self-love, to begin with.

Having low self-esteem is something we’ve all struggled with, well at least I did. And overcoming such moments of weakness has been an ongoing process ever since I learned how to overcome low self-esteem.

How does low self-esteem affect us?

Having low self-esteem makes us feel small. It can be the reason why we hide away from social situations and can hinder us from trying out new things. It keeps up on our safe place and locks us there.

With low self-esteem, you’ll avoid challenges as much as you can and this will just keep you from growing and progressing. In the long term, this can be the cause of you having so many doubts and fears that you’ll have difficulties overcoming them because those have been embedded in you for so long.

Living with low self-esteem and not doing anything to overcome it can lead to serious mental health issues like anxiety and depression.

Here are some tips from me to you to help you overcome such hurdle.

Tips to Overcome Low Self-Esteem

Tip 1: Forgive yourself

Step one is to be kinder to yourself and forgive yourself for any shortcomings you have. You’re not perfect, nobody is, and you have flaws just like everybody else. It’s okay to feel down sometimes and to dwell on these negative thoughts.

We all make mistakes and when we do, we tend to be harder on ourselves. This is your reminder to always be kind to yourself and forgive yourself for making mistakes.

Tip 2: Everyone is struggling

If you think that you’re the only one feeling what you’re feeling right now, you are mistaken. Everyone is struggling and fighting their own battles, you are not alone.

There are other people who are struggling in their journey and there’s nothing wrong if you are, too. There’s nothing wrong with feeling stuck and bad at where you are right now. These are just setbacks and these experiences will be your stepping stones towards improvement.

Voicing out your insecurities can be very therapeutic. Reach out to your friends and family or anyone you deeply trust and find comfort from those who resonate with what you are going through. Maybe they are also looking for support and you can be there for each other.

Tip 3: Stop subjecting yourself to impossibly high standards

When we set such high standards for ourselves and fall short to accomplish such feats, we get discouraged and feel like we’re a big failure. Having standards is great, it makes you push yourself to do your best and become better than what you were before. But there should be a limit because we can only do so much.

Know your strength and capabilities and take advantage of them.

Tip 4: Do something that makes you happy

What are your hobbies? What do you enjoy doing? We are all good at something. Whatever it is, enjoy doing those things and they will greatly boost your mood.

Life is not all about work, it’s about finding happy moments in between while surviving our daily lives.

Tip 5: Identify trends in what’s making you feel negative

Find out what your triggers are. What makes you feel negative about yourself? What makes you feel insecure? Note these things and write them out on paper. Ask yourself when you started thinking about these things and working through them one by one.

Identify your triggers and figure out how you can reduce or eliminate them.

Tip 6: Accept your flaws

We all have flaws and there is beauty in accepting these flaws. Nobody is perfect and nobody has everything. Maybe some people are good at math but they may not be very practical. Some people are very street smart but they suck at math. We are all created fairly.

The bottom line is, we are all unique — strengths and flaws and all. And we’ll have better self-esteem as soon as we realize and accept this.

Tip 7: Recognize you are complete

You are complete, no matter how lacking or inadequate you think you are. The basic thing you’ll need to learn on how to overcome low self-esteem just really comes down to learning how to love yourself.

Nowadays, it’s easy to fall into a pit of anxiety and insecurity especially when we drown in the sea of seemingly perfect personalities we see on the internet. We see all these people who have the perfect lives we dream of but don’t forget tip number 2.

Behind every perfect photo, you don’t know the struggles they go through. And as much as people want to be “real” on the internet, people will always sugarcoat and post about the best things in their lives. And that thought should bring you back to reality. Evaluate who you follow online. Do they bring you joy and inspiration? Or do they make you feel negative about yourself?

You are complete. And just like what Bruno Mars said, you are beautiful just the way you are.

I hope this blog post is helpful for you, dear reader. Don’t forget to share it with your friends!