As January of 2023 comes to a close, it’s a great time to prioritize your mental health by celebrating the end of World Health Esteem Month. Around the globe, this month was dedicated to emphasizing the importance of having high self esteem in your everyday life. Which is not to say that self esteem is always easy to maintain or improve – quite the opposite is true for millions of people.
The great news is that everyone can boost their self esteem and mental wellbeing by practicing a few techniques that can help boost one’s sense of self respect and positivity about who you are. To honor the end of World Health Esteem month, let’s take a closer look at a few reliable ways to bolster your self esteem that you can use throughout the year.
Commit to Physical Activity
According to board-certified neurologist and psychiatrist Julia Samton, exercise has been shown to have a positive impact on self-esteem and life satisfaction. More specifically, NIH research strongly suggests that adults between the ages of 18 to 65 should strive to get either 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of challenging physical activity per week. For people who don’t have easy access to a gym, it’s still possible to achieve this by walking for 30 minutes daily, Monday through Friday. Essentially, adopting and maintaining a regular exercise routine into your daily life can help you to feel strong physically and mentally, providing you with lasting feelings of accomplishment and self-worth.
Appreciate Your Strengths
Having confidence in yourself and your abilities also supports your self esteem. When you know you’re good at something and have the ability to succeed, valuing yourself and supporting your sense of self worth becomes easier. Recognizing the strengths you have and your own passions is an essential part of building and maintaining your self esteem.
While many of us may lack the confidence to begin something new, it’s still necessary to get started to prove to yourself that you have what it takes to do it. Below are just a few ways to help identify your strengths and how to work towards them:
- Commit time to identifying what you know your strengths are, even if you don’t feel like they’re developed enough. Write a list to visualize them to help motivate yourself toward making them even better.
- You can also take an assessment from trusted others and ask them to list down the things they think your strengths are.
- After making your list of strengths, make a list of the things you most-want to do or achieve, or even that simply interest you about work or life.
- Go back to that list of your strengths that others think you have and consider how to match them with your interests. If there are some additional traits you need to develop to become more of a successful part of the things you’re interested in, this matching will help you know what you can work on to get closer to reaching your goals.
Understand & Accept Your “Flaws”
Every person on our planet has flaws, which is to say things we wish could change or want to improve on. But to prevent these “flaws” from taking over our self-esteem, it is essential to separate the “flaws” that can be improved from those that are unchangeable. With unchangeable “flaws,” there are really just two options: you dwell on them or you can find acceptance. By accepting unchangeable parts of yourself you can start moving beyond the confines of the negativity you associate with them, whether it be clinical depression or even low-self-esteem.
It’s important to note that accepting your flaws isn’t that same as convincing yourself to like them. It just means choosing to no longer let that which is unchangeable have control over you. For example, instead of resisting or feeling completely overwhelmed by negative thoughts or feelings, accept them. They may not be likable. But you should allow yourself to feel them. This sort of thought process will help you accept your greater value as a person. As your self-esteem increases, your confidence and sense of well-being will also continue to grow.
Prioritize Self Care
Incorporating self-care techniques into your life is another reliable and comforting way to boost your self-esteem. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, self-care prioritizes committing time to do things that help improve your quality of life, both for your physical health and mental health. In terms of mental health, self-care is a great way to help you manage stress, decrease your risk of illness, and improve your energy levels.
Self-care techniques include everything from maintaining a healthy and diverse diet, sticking to a regular sleeping schedule, including a relaxing activity in your daily routine, setting goals and priorities for yourself, and practicing gratitude by writing down the things you’re grateful for. Even small acts of self-care, like challenging your negative thought patterns with positive outlooks can have a substantial impact.
At Renewed Vitality, we strive to help every person in the Berks County community lead healthier lives with improved self esteem. We’re also the center for the area’s best facility for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and other treatments. We proudly serve both men and women with innovative and practiced care that relieves hormone imbalance symptoms, improving and restoring quality of life for patients at any age. To learn more, don’t hesitate to contact Renewed Vitality today!
