What are the Signs of Low Self-Esteem & How Do We Improve It?
Self-Esteem is one of the important ATA Martial Arts Life Skills that we must maintain in our daily lives. A positive self-esteem is the provider of belief in our abilities and keeps us motivated to navigate life which makes it a crucial necessity for our overall well-being.
Many times, we associate positive self-esteem with physical attractiveness, material things, or accomplishing something not a lot of others can accomplish. However, it can be much more simple than that. Some things that influence your self-esteem that you may not realize are:
- Genetics
- Personality
- Age
- Health
- Social Circumstances
What are the Signs of Low Self-Esteem?
Sensitivity to Criticism
You may notice that you beat yourself up over the little things and don’t give yourself enough credit for the things you did right. Maybe those little mistakes that someone points out can feel like they’re pointing out one of your greatest flaws. No mistake feels like a minor mistake when you have low self-esteem.
Social Withdrawal
This will usually follow negative thoughts of worthlessness and feeling like you have nothing to offer the group.
Hostility
If you don’t like yourself as much, there’s a high probability that others with a higher self-esteem will get on your nerves and you’ll only want to put them down to make them feel the low self-esteem you’re feeling.
How to Improve Self Esteem?
Compliment Yourself
You have plenty of great qualities and abilities that are worth taking notice of. Take some time to remind yourself of those things and challenge any negative thoughts that may try to work their way into your mind.
Accept Compliments From Others
Put away the resistance to compliments and learn how to accept them. One way to do this is to come up with positive automatic responses such as “Thank You” or “How kind of you to say.”
Exercise
This is an excellent way to boost your motivation and practice setting goals for yourself. You will also release endorphins (feel-good hormones) which could help you reach a high self-esteem a lot quicker!
Surround Yourself With Supporters
Find those people in your life who support you and help you feel better about yourself while avoiding those who can plant seeds of negativity.
Use these helpful tips to make today the day that you find joy in being yourself!
Originally posted on ataonline.com on SEP.11.19