Improving Self-Esteem
By the staff of Heartland Human Services
How would you describe yourself? Do you feel good about yourself? Are you content? Perhaps you just don’t feel that good about yourself. Your overall self-evaluation comprises your self-esteem, self-regard, or self-worth. Self-esteem has been defined by the National Association for Self-Esteem as, “The experience of being capable of meeting life’s challenges and being worthy of happiness.” Self-esteem has an impact on both emotions and behavior. Individuals with higher self-esteem are happy and confident when participating in positive social activities. Individuals with low self-esteem may be more reluctant to participate in social activities.
Researchers consider self-esteem to be a lasting personality characteristic or trait that can fluctuate at times. Global self-esteem is the overall evaluation when someone feels they are a good or bad person whereas state self-esteem is the idea that one is good or bad at a certain task. Self-esteem is developed through life experiences and the outcomes of the experiences. Self-esteem is also impacted by many individuals, including family members, teachers, and peers.
Research indicates that low self-esteem can be a common contributor in many negative events. Robert Reasoner provided an overview of self-esteem research and found that self-esteem impacts academic achievement, alcohol and drug abuse, crime and violence, depression and suicide, eating disorders, interpersonal relationships, and teenage pregnancy. Low levels of self-esteem can often lead into a downward spiral. When feeling down or bad about oneself, often anything will be tried to feel better, whether positive or negative, and regardless of consequences.
An article from the University of Texas at Austin Counseling and Mental Health Center indicates that the focus on global and state self-esteem is key to overall self-image. An individual who has a low or unhealthy level of self-esteem is reported to have a tendency to focus on single events rather than the overall picture. Focusing on a single event can lead to a feeling of failure if one does not succeed. This often will cause a lowered self-image. An individual who is focusing on the overall picture is able to look past a failure and accept strengths and limitations.
The University suggests three steps to helping improve self-esteem. The first step is to challenge negative messages one sends to oneself. A negative message is a thought or evaluation about one’s performance or strengths. For example, “I did not get the job, I am a failure.” Challenging this thought and evaluating the situation fully can help determine that one is not a failure because they were not hired for a job. Many other factors lead to the outcome in this situation. The next step to increase self-esteem is self-nurturing. This includes taking care of and rewarding oneself, accepting accomplishments as well as weaknesses and limitations. Forgiving oneself for weaknesses or limitations is very important as well. The third step to increasing self-esteem is getting help from others. Friends, family, teachers, and counselors can all be vital components to increasing self-esteem.
For more information on self-esteem or other mental health questions, please contact Heartland Human Services at (217) 347-7179.