By Phil Rosenbaum
You probably realize that it is very important to feel good about yourself, but did you know there are things you can do to elevate your self-esteem? It is no secret that having high self-esteem has many advantages. According to the American Psychological Association, having high self-esteem is the key to positive mental health and well-being. Low self-esteem keeps you from enjoying your life, doing what you want, and working toward personal goals.
There are other advantages to having high self-esteem. It will give you more effective coping skills. You’ll be better able to cope with stress and anxiety. You will look at what you can change rather than feeling hopeless or thinking you’re a failure. People with high self-esteem are happier at work and have better social relationships.
Knowing that feeling good about yourself is very important, the question becomes, what can you do to raise your self-esteem? The good news is that there are many things you can do to feel better about yourself.
In his book The Success Principles, Jack Canfield states, “the latest brain research now indicates that with enough positive self-talk and positive visualization, combined with the proper training, coaching and practice, anyone can learn to do almost anything.”
According to The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, there are many things you can do to improve how you feel about yourself. What follows are a few of their suggestions.
Exercise helps one feel better and improves self-esteem. It would help if you plan fun activities for yourself and then carry them out. Eat healthy foods. Treat yourself as a wonderful parent would treat a small child or as you would treat a best friend. Learn new things every day. Please make a list of things you enjoy doing, and then do some of them every day. Select some things you have been putting off, and then give yourself rewards for completing them.
Other ideas include spending time with people who make you feel good about yourself and treat you well. Avoid people who mistreat you. Learn something new or improve your skills. Do things that make use of your special talents and abilities. Also, do things you know will make you feel better about yourself. Finally, do something nice for another person.
There are, of course, many other things you can do that will help you feel better about yourself. For example, you might list things you have accomplished over the years and then review the list often. Or, you might stand in front of a mirror each night and tell yourself all the things you did that day that you feel good about. All of these things will improve how you feel.
There is one problem; however, that can interfere with the effectiveness of the ideas mentioned above. These are negative beliefs we have about ourselves, which are buried in our subconscious minds. Most of us have received negative messages when we were young that we have accepted as true. We then, without realizing it, act as if these negative beliefs are true, even though they are not. For example, if you received a message that you’re not college material, you will likely not do very well in college if you do attend a university. The subconscious belief will make sure you do not do well.
It is very important that we find out what these negative beliefs are that are running our lives. We then can go about eliminating them and replacing them with much healthier messages. This may require help from a mental health professional or from a qualified hypnotherapist. When we discover where these messages came from and realize they are not true, we are free to let them go.
If you want assistance eliminating these negative subconscious beliefs, please call Phillip Rosenbaum at 248-688-6469. Improving your self-esteem will result in a much happier and more successful life.
